CVE-2024-35420 is a heap overflow vulnerability discovered in the 'wac' component, specifically introduced in commit 385e1. A heap overflow occurs when a program writes more data to a heap-allocated buffer than it can hold, potentially corrupting adjacent memory. This vulnerability is categorized under CWE-120, indicating a classic buffer overflow issue. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 6.2, reflecting a medium severity level. The attack vector is local (AV:L), meaning an attacker must have local access to the system to exploit it. The attack complexity is low (AC:L), and no privileges (PR:N) or user interaction (UI:N) are required, which simplifies exploitation once local access is obtained. The impact is limited to availability (A:H), indicating that exploitation can cause a denial of service, such as application crashes or system instability, but does not compromise confidentiality or integrity. No known exploits are currently in the wild, and no patches or mitigation details have been published yet. The affected versions are unspecified, which complicates immediate risk assessment. This vulnerability poses a risk primarily to systems running the vulnerable 'wac' component where local users can execute code or commands that trigger the overflow.

The primary impact of CVE-2024-35420 is on system availability, as exploitation results in a denial of service through heap corruption. Organizations relying on the 'wac' component may experience application crashes or system instability, potentially disrupting critical services or workflows. Since the vulnerability requires local access, the threat is more significant in environments where multiple users have local accounts or where attackers can gain local foothold through other means. The absence of confidentiality or integrity impact reduces the risk of data breaches or unauthorized data modification. However, denial of service can still have severe operational consequences, especially in production environments or critical infrastructure. The lack of known exploits and patches means organizations must proactively assess exposure and implement interim mitigations. The unspecified affected versions increase uncertainty, potentially delaying remediation efforts. Overall, the vulnerability could be leveraged in multi-user systems, development environments, or shared hosting scenarios to disrupt services.

Given the absence of published patches, organizations should implement the following specific mitigations: 1) Restrict local access to trusted users only, minimizing the risk of exploitation by unauthorized personnel. 2) Employ application whitelisting and strict execution controls to prevent untrusted code execution that might trigger the heap overflow. 3) Monitor system and application logs for unusual crashes or instability related to the 'wac' component to detect potential exploitation attempts early. 4) Conduct thorough inventory and version identification of the 'wac' component across all systems to prioritize risk assessment and patch application once available. 5) Use sandboxing or containerization to isolate the 'wac' component, limiting the impact of potential crashes. 6) Implement robust endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to identify anomalous local activity indicative of exploitation. 7) Follow vendor advisories closely for patches or updates addressing this vulnerability and apply them promptly. 8) Educate local users about the risks of running untrusted code or commands that could exploit local vulnerabilities.