What is CVE-2020-36461?

CVE-2020-36461 is a medium-severity command injection vulnerability in noise_search (rust), affecting versions <= 0.7.0. No fixed version is listed yet. Untrusted input is inserted into a command that is later executed by the application, allowing the attacker to alter the intent of that command.

How severe is CVE-2020-36461?

CVE-2020-36461 has a CVSS score of 8.1 (Medium). 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.

Which versions of noise_search are affected by CVE-2020-36461?

noise_search (rust) versions <= 0.7.0 is affected.

Is there a fix for CVE-2020-36461?

No fixed version is listed for CVE-2020-36461 yet. Monitor the advisory for updates and apply mitigations in the interim.

Is CVE-2020-36461 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether CVE-2020-36461 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.

What actually determines whether CVE-2020-36461 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.

CVE-2020-36461 in noise_search

Q: How severe is CVE-2020-36461?

CVE-2020-36461 has a CVSS score of 8.1 (Medium). 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.

Q: Which versions of noise_search are affected by CVE-2020-36461?

noise_search (rust) versions <= 0.7.0 is affected.

Q: Is there a fix for CVE-2020-36461?

No fixed version is listed for CVE-2020-36461 yet. Monitor the advisory for updates and apply mitigations in the interim.

Q: Is CVE-2020-36461 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether CVE-2020-36461 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.

Q: What actually determines whether CVE-2020-36461 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.

Q: How do I fix CVE-2020-36461?

No fixed version is listed yet. In the interim: Avoid constructing commands from untrusted input. Use parameterized APIs that separate the command from its arguments.

Summary

Data races in noise_search

Affected versions of the noise_search crate unconditionally implement Send/Sync for MvccRwLock.
This can lead to data races when types that are either !Send or !Sync (e.g. Rc<T>, Arc<Cell<_>>) are contained inside MvccRwLock and sent across thread boundaries. The data races can potentially lead to memory corruption (as demonstrated in the PoC from the original report issue).

Also, safe APIs of MvccRwLock allow aliasing violations by allowing &T and LockResult<MutexGuard<Box<T>>> to co-exist in conflicting lifetime regions. The APIs of MvccRwLock should either be marked as unsafe or MbccRwLock should be changed to private or pub(crate).

Impact

Untrusted input is inserted into a command that is later executed by the application, allowing the attacker to alter the intent of that command. Typical impact: arbitrary command execution in the application's environment.

CVE-2020-36461 has a CVSS score of 8.1 (Medium). 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.

Affected versions

noise_search (<= 0.7.0)

Security releases

Not available

Kodem intelligence

Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.

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. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.

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Remediation advice

No fixed version is listed for CVE-2020-36461 yet.

In the interim: Avoid constructing commands from untrusted input. Use parameterized APIs that separate the command from its arguments.

Kodem Kai can prioritize this vulnerability in your dependency tree and generate a fix recommendation.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-36461? CVE-2020-36461 is a medium-severity command injection vulnerability in noise_search (rust), affecting versions <= 0.7.0. No fixed version is listed yet. Untrusted input is inserted into a command that is later executed by the application, allowing the attacker to alter the intent of that command.
How severe is CVE-2020-36461? CVE-2020-36461 has a CVSS score of 8.1 (Medium). 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.
Which versions of noise_search are affected by CVE-2020-36461? noise_search (rust) versions <= 0.7.0 is affected.
Is there a fix for CVE-2020-36461? No fixed version is listed for CVE-2020-36461 yet. Monitor the advisory for updates and apply mitigations in the interim.
Is CVE-2020-36461 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2020-36461 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
What actually determines whether CVE-2020-36461 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.
How do I fix CVE-2020-36461? No fixed version is listed yet. In the interim: Avoid constructing commands from untrusted input. Use parameterized APIs that separate the command from its arguments.