CVE-2020-36446

Data races in signal-simple

Affected versions of this crate unconditionally implement Send/Sync for SyncChannel. SyncChannel doesn't provide access to &T but merely serves as a channel that consumes and returns owned T.

Users can create UB in safe Rust by sending T: !Send to other threads with SyncChannel::send/recv APIs. Using T = Arc<Cell<_> allows to create data races (which can lead to memory corruption), and using T = MutexGuard allows to unlock a mutex from a thread that didn't lock the mutex.

Multiple concurrent operations access a shared resource without proper synchronization, producing unpredictable results depending on timing. Typical impact: TOCTOU exploits, data corruption, or privilege escalation.

CVE-2020-36446 has a CVSS score of 8.1 (High). The vector is network-reachable, no privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. No fixed version is listed yet, so configuration controls and monitoring matter more in the interim.

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1. What is CVE-2020-36446? CVE-2020-36446 is a high-severity race condition vulnerability in signal-simple (rust), affecting versions <= 0.1.1. No fixed version is listed yet. Multiple concurrent operations access a shared resource without proper synchronization, producing unpredictable results depending on timing.
2. How severe is CVE-2020-36446? CVE-2020-36446 has a CVSS score of 8.1 (High). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
3. Which versions of signal-simple are affected by CVE-2020-36446? signal-simple (rust) versions <= 0.1.1 is affected.
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2020-36446? No fixed version is listed for CVE-2020-36446 yet. Monitor the advisory for updates and apply mitigations in the interim.
5. Is CVE-2020-36446 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2020-36446 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
6. What actually determines whether CVE-2020-36446 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
7. How do I fix CVE-2020-36446? No fixed version is listed yet. In the interim: Keep the dependency up to date. In application code, use atomic operations or locks when accessing shared state.

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