CVE intelligence and bounded remediation

CVE-2020-13995 — Airforce Nitf Extract Utility security vulnerability

Critical CVSS 9.8

U.S. Air Force Sensor Data Management System extract75 has a buffer overflow that leads to code execution. An overflow in a global variable (sBuffer) leads to a Write-What-Where outcome. Writing beyond sBuffer will clobber most global variables until reaching a pointer such as DES_info or image_info. By controlling that pointer, one achieves an arbitrary write when its fields are assigned. The data written is from a potentially untrusted NITF file in the form of an integer. The attacker can gain control of the instruction pointer.

Severity
Critical
CVSS
9.8 (3.1)
Published
2020-09-25
CISA KEV
Not currently listed
Ecosystem
software/application
Weaknesses
CWE-787

Affected products

  • airforce / nitf_extract_utility / 7.5

Matched remediation archetype

Buffer bounds, memory safety, and memory corruption

This catalog composition supplies bounded fallback guidance. Explicitly reviewed curated workflows load with the complete record below.

Check exposure

  • Identify affected native-code versions, build flags, architectures, parsers, codecs, drivers, and input paths in all shipped artifacts.
  • Determine whether untrusted data reaches the affected routine and the process privilege, sandbox, and network exposure.
  • Confirm statically linked, vendored, firmware, and platform-provided copies, not only package-manager records.

Remediate safely

  • Apply the maintained upstream correction or replace the affected component, then rebuild every dependent artifact from clean inputs.
  • Adopt bounds-checked interfaces, validated sizes and integer conversions, clear ownership, and memory-safe components where practical.
  • Enable supported compiler and runtime hardening and add sanitized tests and fuzz regression seeds derived from non-weaponized fixtures.

Authoritative sources

Complete CVE record and remediation plan

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