Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
A malformed Windows PE file can make radare2 4.5.0 crash while parsing certificate signature data. This is most relevant to teams using radare2 for malware analysis, reverse engineering, or file triage. The provided sources do not show system compromise or active exploitation.
Executive priority
Handle as a targeted tooling reliability issue, not an enterprise-wide emergency. Prioritize teams that analyze untrusted binaries because crashes can interrupt security operations and automated triage.
Technical view
radare2 4.5.0 misparses signature information in IMAGE_DIRECTORY_ENTRY_SECURITY. A malformed object identifier reaches r_x509_parse_algorithmidentifier in libr/util/x509.c and causes a segmentation fault. The bundle provides no CVSS, CWE, or confirmed affected CPE data.
Likely exposure
Exposure is likely limited to environments running radare2 4.5.0, including distribution packages, and parsing PE files with embedded security directory data. Risk is higher where analysts process untrusted binaries.
Exploitation context
The sources describe a crash condition, not code execution. CISA KEV is false, and the bundle contains no evidence of active exploitation. Treat this as a denial-of-service risk to analysis tooling unless vendor advisories state otherwise.
Researcher notes
Evidence is sparse: the CVE description identifies the parser function and PE security directory, but no CVSS, CWE, exploit status, or complete affected product metadata is provided. Fedora advisories indicate downstream vendor handling.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory radare2 usage, especially version 4.5.0.
- Check radare2 and Linux distribution advisories for fixed packages.
- Update affected radare2 packages through trusted vendor channels.
- Avoid automated parsing of untrusted PE files with vulnerable builds.
- Isolate analysis tooling that processes unknown binaries.
Validation and detection
- Confirm installed radare2 versions on analyst workstations and CI systems.
- Review whether workflows parse Windows PE signatures or certificates.
- Check crash logs for r_x509_parse_algorithmidentifier segmentation faults.
- Verify distribution package status against the Fedora advisories.
- Document any compensating isolation for untrusted file analysis.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CVE-2020-17487 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Unknown
- CVSS
- Not scored
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
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.
CVSS and timeline data
No CVSS vectors or timeline events were available in the normalized CVE source material.
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://github.com/radareorg/radare2/issues/17431CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- FEDORA-2021-e3c95619c1CVE reference · vendor-advisory, x_refsource_FEDORA
- FEDORA-2021-f3ebd7554cCVE reference · vendor-advisory, x_refsource_FEDORA
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.