Buffer Overflow Vulnerability in GNU C Library for x86 Targets

CVE-2020-29573

What is CVE-2020-29573?

A buffer overflow vulnerability exists in the GNU C Library (glibc) for x86 targets prior to version 2.23. This issue arises when the input to the printf family of functions contains an 80-bit long double with a non-canonical bit pattern, particularly when specific byte sequences are passed to functions such as sprintf. As a result, an attacker could exploit this vulnerability to potentially manipulate or corrupt memory, leading to unexpected application behavior or denial of service. Importantly, this vulnerability does not impact glibc versions 2.23 and later due to significant updates made in 2015 that improved how C99 math functions are handled with GCC built-ins.

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