CVE-2020-36448
HIGHCVE-2020-36448 is a high-severity (CVSS 8.1) CWE-77 vulnerability in cache. 1 public exploit reference exists, so weaponization risk is real. O3 Security confirms whether CVE-2020-36448 is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
Data races in cache
Real-World Exposure
cacheReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects crates.io packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
An issue was discovered in the cache crate through 2020-11-24 for Rust.
Affected versions of this crate unconditionally implement Send/Sync for Cache<K>.
This allows users to insert K that is not Send or not Sync.
This allows users to create data races by using non-Send types like Arc<Cell<T>> or Rc<T> as K in Cache<K>. It is also possible to create data races by using types like Cell<T> or RefCell<T> (types that are Send but not Sync).
Such data races can lead to memory corruption.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🦀crates.io | cache | all versions | No fix |
Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for cache. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.
Remediation status
No patched version of cache has shipped for CVE-2020-36448 yet. Where your build allows, override or pin the dependency away from the vulnerable range, and apply any maintainer-recommended mitigation.
Mitigate without a patch
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 pinpoints whether CVE-2020-36448 is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.
Tailored to CVE-2020-36448. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2020-36448 in your dependencies?
O3 detects CVE-2020-36448 across crates.io dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.