CVE-2025-15504: LIEF Use-After-Free Vulnerability

CVE-2025-15504 Overview

A null pointer dereference vulnerability has been discovered in lief-project LIEF versions up to 0.17.1. This security flaw affects the Parser::parse_binary function within the file src/ELF/Parser.tcc of the ELF Binary Parser component. Exploitation of this vulnerability through manipulation of crafted input can lead to a denial of service condition. The attack requires local access to the system, and a proof-of-concept exploit has been publicly released.

Critical Impact

Attackers with local access can trigger a null pointer dereference in the LIEF library's ELF parsing functionality, potentially causing application crashes and denial of service when processing maliciously crafted ELF binaries.

Affected Products

• lief-project LIEF versions up to 0.17.1
• Applications and tools that integrate LIEF for ELF binary parsing
• Security analysis and reverse engineering tools using the affected LIEF library versions

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-01-10 - CVE-2025-15504 published to NVD
• 2026-01-13 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-15504

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability exists within LIEF, a library designed to parse, modify, and abstract ELF, PE, and MachO formats. The flaw occurs in the ELF Binary Parser component, specifically in the Parser::parse_binary function located in src/ELF/Parser.tcc. When parsing a malformed or specially crafted ELF binary, the parser fails to properly validate certain pointer references before dereferencing them, resulting in a null pointer dereference condition.

This type of vulnerability typically manifests when the parser encounters unexpected or missing data structures within the ELF binary format. When the code attempts to access memory through a null pointer, the operating system terminates the process, causing a segmentation fault (SIGSEGV) and subsequent denial of service.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2025-15504 is classified under CWE-404 (Improper Resource Shutdown or Release), though the specific manifestation is a null pointer dereference. The Parser::parse_binary function does not adequately validate the state of internal data structures before attempting to access them during ELF binary parsing operations. This missing validation allows crafted input to trigger a code path where a null pointer is dereferenced.

The vulnerability stems from insufficient defensive programming practices when handling edge cases in ELF file structure parsing. The patch identified as commit 81bd5d7ea0c390563f1c4c017c9019d154802978 addresses this by implementing proper null checks before pointer dereference operations.

Attack Vector

The attack requires local access to the target system. An attacker must be able to provide a maliciously crafted ELF binary file to an application that uses the vulnerable LIEF library for parsing. When the application attempts to parse the malformed binary using the Parser::parse_binary function, the null pointer dereference is triggered, causing the application to crash.

Attack scenarios include:

1. Providing a crafted ELF binary to a security analysis tool that uses LIEF
2. Submitting malicious binaries to automated scanning systems leveraging LIEF
3. Triggering the vulnerability in any local application that processes user-supplied ELF files with LIEF

The vulnerability requires low privileges to exploit, as the attacker only needs the ability to provide input to an application using the vulnerable library. A proof-of-concept demonstrating this vulnerability has been publicly released and is available in the GitHub PoC Repository.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-15504

Indicators of Compromise

• Application crashes with segmentation fault (SIGSEGV) signals when processing ELF binaries
• Abnormal termination of security tools or analysis applications that utilize LIEF for binary parsing
• Core dump files generated during ELF parsing operations

Detection Strategies

• Monitor for repeated application crashes in tools using LIEF library, especially during ELF binary processing
• Implement crash analysis to identify null pointer dereference patterns in the Parser::parse_binary code path
• Use software composition analysis (SCA) tools to identify LIEF versions 0.17.1 and earlier in your environment

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable core dump collection and analysis for applications that process untrusted ELF binaries
• Implement application-level monitoring for unexpected termination of LIEF-dependent tools
• Set up alerts for repeated parsing failures or crashes in binary analysis pipelines

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-15504

Immediate Actions Required

• Upgrade LIEF to version 0.17.2 or later, which contains the security fix
• Audit your software inventory to identify all applications using vulnerable LIEF versions
• Consider isolating or sandboxing applications that process untrusted ELF binaries until patching is complete

Patch Information

The vulnerability has been addressed in LIEF version 0.17.2. The fix is implemented in commit 81bd5d7ea0c390563f1c4c017c9019d154802978, which adds proper null pointer validation before dereference operations in the ELF parser.

Organizations should upgrade to the LIEF 0.17.2 release to remediate this vulnerability. Additional details about the vulnerability and fix can be found in GitHub Issue #1277 and the associated commit.

Workarounds

• Implement input validation to reject potentially malformed ELF binaries before processing with LIEF
• Run LIEF-based applications in sandboxed environments to contain potential crashes
• Add exception handling and crash recovery mechanisms to applications processing untrusted binaries
• Restrict access to file upload or input mechanisms that could be used to supply malicious ELF files

# Upgrade LIEF to patched version using pip
pip install --upgrade lief>=0.17.2

# Verify installed version
pip show lief | grep Version