Double Free in Gegl Libbabl
CVE-2020-37239
libbabl 0.1.62 contains a broken double free detection vulnerability that allows attackers to bypass memory safety checks by exploiting signature overwriting in freed chunks. Attackers can call babl_free() twice on the same pointer without triggering detection, as libc's malloc metadata overwrites babl's signature field upon freeing, enabling potential memory corruption and code execution.
Vulnerability class: Double Free
Published · last modified .
CVSS v3 metric
CVSS v3 base score 9.8 (Critical). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
EPSS exploit prediction
EPSS: 0.005 (37.3th percentile), scored .
Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 37th percentile — 37.3% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.
EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.005 · newest: 0.005 · change: 0.000
Affected products
- Gegl Libbabl — versions 0.1.62
Weakness classification (CWE)
References
- www.exploit-db.com/exploits/49259 (exploit)
- www.gegl.org (product)
- www.gegl.org/babl/ (product)
- www.vulncheck.com/advisories/libbabl-broken-double-free-detection-memory-safety (third-party-advisory)
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2020-37239?
- CVE-2020-37239 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Gegl Libbabl, classified under Double Free. CVSS score: 9.8/10. Published 2026-05-16.
- How severe is CVE-2020-37239?
- Critical severity. CVSS v3 base score is 9.8 out of 10.