CVE-2024-2002 – A double-free vulnerability in libdwarf allows ... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2024-2002?

CVE-2024-2002 has a CVSS score of 7.5 (HIGH). A double-free vulnerability in libdwarf allows memory corruption when processing specially crafted DWARF debugging information files. This could lead to denial of service, arbitrary code execution, or application crashes. Any system or application using vulnerable versions of libdwarf to process untrusted DWARF files is affected.

📋 TL;DR

A double-free vulnerability in libdwarf allows memory corruption when processing specially crafted DWARF debugging information files. This could lead to denial of service, arbitrary code execution, or application crashes. Any system or application using vulnerable versions of libdwarf to process untrusted DWARF files is affected.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

libdwarf
applications using libdwarf for DWARF processing

Versions: libdwarf versions before the fix (specific version not specified in references)

Operating Systems: Linux, Unix-like systems, Any OS using libdwarf

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Vulnerability triggers when processing multiply-corrupted DWARF objects. Applications must use libdwarf to parse DWARF files to be affected.

📦 What is this software?

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Remote code execution leading to complete system compromise if libdwarf processes attacker-controlled DWARF files.

🟠

Likely Case

Application crash or denial of service when processing malformed DWARF debugging information.

🟢

If Mitigated

Limited impact if libdwarf only processes trusted debugging files from controlled sources.

🌐 Internet-Facing: MEDIUM - Risk exists if applications process DWARF files from untrusted sources via network interfaces.

🏢 Internal Only: LOW - Most internal uses involve trusted debugging files from development environments.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes

Complexity: MEDIUM

Exploitation requires crafting malicious DWARF files and getting them processed by vulnerable libdwarf. No public exploit code identified in references.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Check vendor advisories for specific patched versions

Vendor Advisory: https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2024-2002

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Check if libdwarf is installed on your system. 2. Update libdwarf to patched version from your distribution's repository. 3. Restart applications using libdwarf. 4. For Red Hat systems, apply security updates via 'yum update libdwarf' or 'dnf update libdwarf'.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Restrict DWARF file processing

all

Limit libdwarf to process only trusted DWARF files from controlled sources

Application sandboxing

linux

Run applications using libdwarf in restricted environments with limited privileges

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Isolate systems using libdwarf from untrusted networks
Implement strict input validation for DWARF files and monitor for crash events

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check libdwarf version: 'rpm -q libdwarf' (RHEL) or 'dpkg -l libdwarf' (Debian/Ubuntu). Compare against vendor advisories.

Check Version:

rpm -q libdwarf || dpkg -l libdwarf || find / -name '*libdwarf*' -type f 2>/dev/null

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify updated version: 'rpm -q libdwarf' should show patched version. Test with known DWARF files to ensure no crashes.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Application crashes with segmentation faults
Memory corruption errors in system logs
Unexpected termination of debugging tools

Network Indicators:

Unusual network transfers of debugging files to vulnerable systems

SIEM Query:

source="application_logs" AND ("segmentation fault" OR "double free" OR "corrupted") AND process="*libdwarf*"

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2024-2002

CVSS v3 Score: 7.5 (HIGH)

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

CWE: CWE-415

Published: March 18, 2024

Last Updated: April 9, 2025

🔗 References

https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2024-2002 Third Party Advisory
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2267700 Issue Tracking
https://github.com/davea42/libdwarf-code/blob/main/bugxml/data.txt Third Party Advisory
https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2024-2002 Third Party Advisory
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2267700 Issue Tracking
https://github.com/davea42/libdwarf-code/blob/main/bugxml/data.txt Third Party Advisory
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/ZGPVLSPIXR32J6FOAFTTIMYTUUXJICGW/ Mailing List

📤 Share & Export

📄 Export Markdown 📋 Export JSON

🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

If you're affected by CVE-2024-2002, you might also want to check these: