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CVE Record

CVE-2020-10809: An issue was discovered in HDF5 through 1.12.0.

An issue was discovered in HDF5 through 1.12.0. A heap-based buffer overflow exists in the function Decompress() located in decompress.c. It can be triggered by sending a crafted file to the gif2h5 binary. It allows an attacker to cause Denial of Service.

UnknownCVSS not scoredNot KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysismoderate

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

CVE-2020-10809 is a denial-of-service flaw in HDF5's gif2h5 conversion tool. A specially crafted file can trigger a heap-based buffer overflow and crash the process. Business urgency depends on whether untrusted GIF files reach gif2h5 in automated ingestion or conversion workflows.

Executive priority

Treat this as moderate priority unless gif2h5 processes untrusted files at scale. It is primarily a service stability risk, not a confirmed data breach or active-exploitation issue in the supplied sources.

Technical view

The CVE describes a heap-based buffer overflow in Decompress() in decompress.c, triggered via a crafted file sent to the gif2h5 binary. The stated affected scope is HDF5 through 1.12.0. The documented impact is denial of service; the source bundle does not provide CVSS, CWE, or a named fixed version.

Likely exposure

Exposure is most likely where HDF5 gif2h5 is installed and used to convert user-supplied or externally sourced GIF files. General HDF5 deployments without gif2h5 use, or without untrusted file processing, appear less exposed based on the supplied evidence.

Exploitation context

The source bundle supports crafted-file denial of service through gif2h5. It does not show CISA KEV listing, active exploitation, privilege impact, or remote exploitation without a file-processing path. Public research references exist, but operational exploit status is not established here.

Researcher notes

Version evidence is limited to the CVE description stating HDF5 through 1.12.0. One reference title mentions HDF5 1.13.0, so confirm affected and fixed versions against HDF Group release notes before final scoping.

Mitigation direction

  • Identify systems running HDF5 through 1.12.0 with gif2h5 present.
  • Restrict gif2h5 from processing untrusted or unauthenticated file uploads.
  • Run conversion workloads in isolated, least-privilege environments.
  • Check HDF Group release notes and vendor guidance for fixed versions.
  • Prioritize updates where gif2h5 is used in automated ingestion pipelines.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory installed HDF5 versions and gif2h5 availability.
  • Map workflows that pass GIF files into gif2h5.
  • Confirm untrusted files cannot directly reach conversion jobs.
  • Review crash logs for gif2h5 failures during GIF processing.
  • Verify vendor guidance before declaring remediation complete.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
Sources
5

Public sources used

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.

Potential ATT&CK relevance

Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
Unknown
CVSS
Not scored
Known Exploited
No
Published
Official CVE source material

CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5

These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.

0CVSS vectors
0Timeline events
0ADP providers
4Source links

CVSS and timeline data

No CVSS vectors or timeline events were available in the normalized CVE source material.

Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
n/an/an/aListed
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

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