9.8 CVE-2021-20204
Enriched by CISA Buffer Overflow
A heap memory corruption problem (use after free) can be triggered in libgetdata v0.10.0 when processing maliciously crafted dirfile databases. This degrades the confidentiality, integrity and availability of third-party software that uses libgetdata as a library. This vulnerability may lead to arbitrary code execution or privilege escalation depending on input/skills of attacker.
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-20204
Categories
CWE-119 : Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer
The product performs operations on a memory buffer, but it reads from or writes to a memory location outside the buffer's intended boundary. This may result in read or write operations on unexpected memory locations that could be linked to other variables, data structures, or internal program data. This term has many different meanings to different audiences. From a CWE mapping perspective, this term should be avoided where possible. Some researchers, developers, and tools intend for it to mean "write past the end of a buffer," whereas others use the same term to mean "any read or write outside the boundaries of a buffer, whether before the beginning of the buffer or after the end of the buffer." Others could mean "any action after the end of a buffer, whether it is a read or write." Since the term is commonly used for exploitation and for vulnerabilities, it further confuses things. Some prominent vendors and researchers use the term "buffer overrun," but most people use "buffer overflow." See the alternate term for "buffer overflow" for context. Generally used for techniques that avoid weaknesses related to memory access, such as those identified by CWE-119 and its descendants. However, the term is not formal, and there is likely disagreement between practitioners as to which weaknesses are implicitly covered by the "memory safety" term. This weakness can be detected using dynamic tools and techniques that interact with the software using large test suites with many diverse inputs, such as fuzz testing (fuzzing), robustness testing, and fault injection. The software's operation may slow down, but it should not become unstable, crash, or generate incorrect results. Use tools that are integrated duringcompilation to insert runtime error-checking mechanismsrelated to memory safety errors, such as AddressSanitizer(ASan) for C/C++ [REF-1518]. Replace unbounded copy functions with analogous functions that support length arguments, such as strcpy with strncpy. Create these if they are not available. Incorrect URI normalization in application traffic product leads to buffer overflow, as exploited in the wild per CISA KEV. Chain: build process for JavaScript runtime environment can have inconsistent sizes for off_t (CWE-1102), allowing out-of-bounds access / segmentation fault (CWE-119) Buffer overflow in Wi-Fi router web interface, as exploited in the wild per CISA KEV. Classic stack-based buffer overflow in media player using a long entry in a playlist Heap-based buffer overflow in media player using a long entry in a playlist large precision value in a format string triggers overflow negative offset value leads to out-of-bounds read malformed inputs cause accesses of uninitialized or previously-deleted objects, leading to memory corruption chain: lack of synchronization leads to memory corruption Chain: machine-learning product can have a heap-basedbuffer overflow (CWE-122) when some integer-oriented bounds arecalculated by using ceiling() and floor() on floating point values(CWE-1339) attacker-controlled array index leads to code execution chain: -1 value from a function call was intended to indicate an error, but is used as an array index instead. chain: incorrect calculations lead to incorrect pointer dereference and memory corruption product accepts crafted messages that lead to a dereference of an arbitrary pointer chain: malformed input causes dereference of uninitialized memory OS kernel trusts userland-supplied length value, allowing reading of sensitive information Chain: integer overflow in securely-coded mail program leads to buffer overflow. In 2005, this was regarded as unrealistic to exploit, but in 2020, it was rediscovered to be easier to exploit due to evolutions of the technology. buffer overflow involving a regular expression with a large number of captures chain: unchecked message size metadata allows integer overflow (CWE-190) leading to buffer overflow (CWE-119).
CWE-416 : Use After Free
The product reuses or references memory after it has been freed. At some point afterward, the memory may be allocated again and saved in another pointer, while the original pointer references a location somewhere within the new allocation. Any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory "belongs" to the code that operates on the new pointer. If the product accesses a previously-freed pointer, then it means that a separate weakness or error already occurred previously, such as a race condition, an unexpected or poorly handled error condition, confusion over which part of the program is responsible for freeing the memory, performing the free too soon, etc. a pointer that no longer points to valid memory, often after it has been freed commonly used acronym for Use After Free Fuzz testing (fuzzing) is a powerful technique for generating large numbers of diverse inputs - either randomly or algorithmically - and dynamically invoking the code with those inputs. Even with random inputs, it is often capable of generating unexpected results such as crashes, memory corruption, or resource consumption. Fuzzing effectively produces repeatable test cases that clearly indicate bugs, which helps developers to diagnose the issues. Automated static analysis, commonly referred to as Static Application Security Testing (SAST), can find some instances of this weakness by analyzing source code (or binary/compiled code) without having to execute it. Typically, this is done by building a model of data flow and control flow, then searching for potentially-vulnerable patterns that connect "sources" (origins of input) with "sinks" (destinations where the data interacts with external components, a lower layer such as the OS, etc.) Use tools that are integrated duringcompilation to insert runtime error-checking mechanismsrelated to memory safety errors, such as AddressSanitizer(ASan) for C/C++ [REF-1518]. Choose a language that provides automatic memory management. When freeing pointers, be sure to set them to NULL once they are freed. However, the utilization of multiple or complex data structures may lower the usefulness of this strategy. TCP/IP code for an OS has a use-after-free that can leak heap memory contents Chain: an operating system kernel has insufficent resource locking (CWE-413) leading to a use after free (CWE-416). Chain: two threads in a web browser use the same resource (CWE-366), but one of those threads can destroy the resource before the other has completed (CWE-416). Chain: mobile platform race condition (CWE-362) leading to use-after-free (CWE-416), as exploited in the wild per CISA KEV. Chain: race condition (CWE-362) leads to use-after-free (CWE-416), as exploited in the wild per CISA KEV. Use-after-free triggered by closing a connection while data is still being transmitted. Improper allocation for invalid data leads to use-after-free. certificate with a large number of Subject Alternate Names not properly handled in realloc, leading to use-after-free Timers are not disabled when a related object is deleted Access to a "dead" object that is being cleaned up object is deleted even with a non-zero reference count, and later accessed use-after-free involving request containing an invalid version number unload of an object that is currently being accessed by other functionality incorrectly tracking a reference count leads to use-after-free use-after-free related to use of uninitialized memory HTML document with incorrectly-nested tags Use after free in ActiveX object by providing a malformed argument to a method use-after-free by disconnecting during data transfer, or a message containing incorrect data types disconnect during a large data transfer causes incorrect reference count, leading to use-after-free use-after-free found by fuzzing Chain: race condition (CWE-362) from improper handling of a page transition in web client while an applet is loading (CWE-368) leads to use after free (CWE-416) realloc generates new buffer and pointer, but previous pointer is still retained, leading to use after free Use-after-free in web browser, probably resultant from not initializing memory. use-after-free when one thread accessed memory that was freed by another thread assignment of malformed values to certain properties triggers use after free mail server does not properly handle a long header. chain: integer overflow leads to use-after-free freed pointer dereference Chain: A multi-threaded race condition (CWE-367) allows attackers to cause two threads to process the same RPC request, which causes a use-after-free (CWE-416) in one thread
References
af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108
secalert@redhat.com
AFFECTED (from MITRE)
| Vendor |
Product |
Versions |
| n/a |
getdata |
|
| © 2022 The MITRE Corporation. This work is reproduced and distributed with the permission of The MITRE Corporation. |
CPE
| cpe |
start |
end |
| Configuration 1 |
| cpe:2.3:a:getdata_project:getdata:0.10.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* |
|
|
| Configuration 2 |
| cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:9.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* |
|
|
| Configuration 3 |
| cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:33:*:*:*:*:*:*:* |
|
|
| cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:34:*:*:*:*:*:*:* |
|
|
| cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:35:*:*:*:*:*:*:* |
|
|
REMEDIATION
EXPLOITS
Exploit-db.com
| id |
description |
date |
|
| No known exploits |
POC Github
Other Nist (github, ...)
CAPEC
Common Attack Pattern Enumerations and Classifications
| id |
description |
severity |
| 10 |
Buffer Overflow via Environment Variables
This attack pattern involves causing a buffer overflow through manipulation of environment variables. Once the adversary finds that they can modify an environment variable, they may try to overflow associated buffers. This attack leverages implicit trust often placed in environment variables. [Identify target application] The adversary identifies a target application or program to perform the buffer overflow on. In this attack the adversary looks for an application that loads the content of an environment variable into a buffer. [Find injection vector] The adversary identifies an injection vector to deliver the excessive content to the targeted application's buffer. [Craft overflow content] The adversary crafts the content to be injected. If the intent is to simply cause the software to crash, the content need only consist of an excessive quantity of random data. If the intent is to leverage the overflow for execution of arbitrary code, the adversary crafts the payload in such a way that the overwritten return address is replaced with one of the adversary's choosing. [Overflow the buffer] Using the injection vector, the adversary injects the crafted overflow content into the buffer. |
High |
| 100 |
Overflow Buffers
Buffer Overflow attacks target improper or missing bounds checking on buffer operations, typically triggered by input injected by an adversary. As a consequence, an adversary is able to write past the boundaries of allocated buffer regions in memory, causing a program crash or potentially redirection of execution as per the adversaries' choice. [Identify target application] The adversary identifies a target application or program to perform the buffer overflow on. Adversaries often look for applications that accept user input and that perform manual memory management. [Find injection vector] The adversary identifies an injection vector to deliver the excessive content to the targeted application's buffer. [Craft overflow content] The adversary crafts the content to be injected. If the intent is to simply cause the software to crash, the content need only consist of an excessive quantity of random data. If the intent is to leverage the overflow for execution of arbitrary code, the adversary crafts the payload in such a way that the overwritten return address is replaced with one of the adversary's choosing. [Overflow the buffer] Using the injection vector, the adversary injects the crafted overflow content into the buffer. |
Very High |
| 123 |
Buffer Manipulation
An adversary manipulates an application's interaction with a buffer in an attempt to read or modify data they shouldn't have access to. Buffer attacks are distinguished in that it is the buffer space itself that is the target of the attack rather than any code responsible for interpreting the content of the buffer. In virtually all buffer attacks the content that is placed in the buffer is immaterial. Instead, most buffer attacks involve retrieving or providing more input than can be stored in the allocated buffer, resulting in the reading or overwriting of other unintended program memory. |
Very High |
| 14 |
Client-side Injection-induced Buffer Overflow
This type of attack exploits a buffer overflow vulnerability in targeted client software through injection of malicious content from a custom-built hostile service. This hostile service is created to deliver the correct content to the client software. For example, if the client-side application is a browser, the service will host a webpage that the browser loads. [Identify target client-side application] The adversary identifies a target client-side application to perform the buffer overflow on. The most common are browsers. If there is a known browser vulnerability an adversary could target that. [Find injection vector] The adversary identifies an injection vector to deliver the excessive content to the targeted application's buffer. [Create hostile service] The adversary creates a hostile service that will deliver content to the client-side application. If the intent is to simply cause the software to crash, the content need only consist of an excessive quantity of random data. If the intent is to leverage the overflow for execution of arbitrary code, the adversary crafts the payload in such a way that the overwritten return address is replaced with one of the adversary's choosing. [Overflow the buffer] Using the injection vector, the adversary delivers the content to the client-side application using the hostile service and overflows the buffer. |
High |
| 24 |
Filter Failure through Buffer Overflow
In this attack, the idea is to cause an active filter to fail by causing an oversized transaction. An attacker may try to feed overly long input strings to the program in an attempt to overwhelm the filter (by causing a buffer overflow) and hoping that the filter does not fail securely (i.e. the user input is let into the system unfiltered). [Survey] The attacker surveys the target application, possibly as a valid and authenticated user [Attempt injections] Try to feed overly long data to the system. This can be done manually or a dynamic tool (black box) can be used to automate this. An attacker can also use a custom script for that purpose. [Monitor responses] Watch for any indication of failure occurring. Carefully watch to see what happened when filter failure occurred. Did the data get in? [Abuse the system through filter failure] An attacker writes a script to consistently induce the filter failure. |
High |
| 42 |
MIME Conversion
An attacker exploits a weakness in the MIME conversion routine to cause a buffer overflow and gain control over the mail server machine. The MIME system is designed to allow various different information formats to be interpreted and sent via e-mail. Attack points exist when data are converted to MIME compatible format and back. [Identify target mail server] The adversary identifies a target mail server that they wish to attack. [Determine viability of attack] Determine whether the mail server is unpatched and is potentially vulnerable to one of the known MIME conversion buffer overflows (e.g. Sendmail 8.8.3 and 8.8.4). [Find injection vector] Identify places in the system where vulnerable MIME conversion routines may be used. [Craft overflow content] The adversary crafts e-mail messages with special headers that will cause a buffer overflow for the vulnerable MIME conversion routine. The intent of this attack is to leverage the overflow for execution of arbitrary code and gain access to the mail server machine, so the adversary will craft an email that not only overflows the targeted buffer but does so in such a way that the overwritten return address is replaced with one of the adversary's choosing. [Overflow the buffer] Send e-mail messages to the target system with specially crafted headers that trigger the buffer overflow and execute the shell code. |
High |
| 44 |
Overflow Binary Resource File
An attack of this type exploits a buffer overflow vulnerability in the handling of binary resources. Binary resources may include music files like MP3, image files like JPEG files, and any other binary file. These attacks may pass unnoticed to the client machine through normal usage of files, such as a browser loading a seemingly innocent JPEG file. This can allow the adversary access to the execution stack and execute arbitrary code in the target process. [Identify target software] The adversary identifies software that uses external binary files in some way. This could be a file upload, downloading a file from a shared location, or other means. [Find injection vector] The adversary creates a malicious binary file by altering the header to make the file seem shorter than it is. Additional bytes are added to the end of the file to be placed in the overflowed location. The adversary then deploys the file to the software to determine if a buffer overflow was successful. [Craft overflow content] Once the adversary has determined that this attack is viable, they will specially craft the binary file in a way that achieves the desired behavior. If the source code is available, the adversary can carefully craft the malicious file so that the return address is overwritten to an intended value. If the source code is not available, the adversary will iteratively alter the file in order to overwrite the return address correctly. [Overflow the buffer] Once the adversary has constructed a file that will effectively overflow the targeted software in the intended way. The file is deployed to the software, either by serving it directly to the software or placing it in a shared location for a victim to load into the software. |
Very High |
| 45 |
Buffer Overflow via Symbolic Links
This type of attack leverages the use of symbolic links to cause buffer overflows. An adversary can try to create or manipulate a symbolic link file such that its contents result in out of bounds data. When the target software processes the symbolic link file, it could potentially overflow internal buffers with insufficient bounds checking. [Identify target application] The adversary identifies a target application or program that might load in certain files to memory. [Find injection vector] The adversary identifies an injection vector to deliver the excessive content to the targeted application's buffer. [Craft overflow file content] The adversary crafts the content to be injected. If the intent is to simply cause the software to crash, the content need only consist of an excessive quantity of random data. If the intent is to leverage the overflow for execution of arbitrary code, the adversary crafts the payload in such a way that the overwritten return address is replaced with one of the adversary's choosing. [Overflow the buffer] Using the specially crafted file content, the adversary creates a symbolic link from the identified resource to the malicious file, causing a targeted buffer overflow attack. |
High |
| 46 |
Overflow Variables and Tags
This type of attack leverages the use of tags or variables from a formatted configuration data to cause buffer overflow. The adversary crafts a malicious HTML page or configuration file that includes oversized strings, thus causing an overflow. [Identify target application] The adversary identifies a target application or program to perform the buffer overflow on. Adversaries look for applications or programs that accept formatted files, such as configuration files, as input. [Find injection vector] The adversary identifies an injection vector to deliver the excessive content to the targeted application's buffer. [Craft overflow content] The adversary crafts the content to be injected. If the intent is to simply cause the software to crash, the content need only consist of an excessive quantity of random data. If the intent is to leverage the overflow for execution of arbitrary code, the adversary crafts the payload in such a way that the overwritten return address is replaced with one of the adversary's choosing. [Overflow the buffer] The adversary will upload the crafted file to the application, causing a buffer overflow. |
High |
| 47 |
Buffer Overflow via Parameter Expansion
In this attack, the target software is given input that the adversary knows will be modified and expanded in size during processing. This attack relies on the target software failing to anticipate that the expanded data may exceed some internal limit, thereby creating a buffer overflow. [Identify target application] The adversary identifies a target application or program to perform the buffer overflow on. Adversaries often look for applications that accept user input and that perform manual memory management. [Find injection vector] The adversary identifies an injection vector to deliver the excessive content to the targeted application's buffer. [Craft overflow content] The adversary crafts the input to be given to the program. If the intent is to simply cause the software to crash, the input needs only to expand to an excessive quantity of random data. If the intent is to leverage the overflow for execution of arbitrary code, the adversary will craft input that expands in a way that not only overflows the targeted buffer but does so in such a way that the overwritten return address is replaced with one of the adversaries' choosing which points to code injected by the adversary. [Overflow the buffer] Using the injection vector, the adversary gives the crafted input to the program, overflowing the buffer. |
High |
| 8 |
Buffer Overflow in an API Call
This attack targets libraries or shared code modules which are vulnerable to buffer overflow attacks. An adversary who has knowledge of known vulnerable libraries or shared code can easily target software that makes use of these libraries. All clients that make use of the code library thus become vulnerable by association. This has a very broad effect on security across a system, usually affecting more than one software process. [Identify target application] The adversary, with knowledge of vulnerable libraries or shared code modules, identifies a target application or program that makes use of these. [Find injection vector] The adversary attempts to use the API, and if they can they send a large amount of data to see if the buffer overflow attack really does work. [Craft overflow content] The adversary crafts the content to be injected based on their knowledge of the vulnerability and their desired outcome. If the intent is to simply cause the software to crash, the content need only consist of an excessive quantity of random data. If the intent is to leverage the overflow for execution of arbitrary code, the adversary will craft a set of content that not only overflows the targeted buffer but does so in such a way that the overwritten return address is replaced with one of the adversaries' choosing which points to code injected by the adversary. [Overflow the buffer] Using the API as the injection vector, the adversary injects the crafted overflow content into the buffer. |
High |
| 9 |
Buffer Overflow in Local Command-Line Utilities
This attack targets command-line utilities available in a number of shells. An adversary can leverage a vulnerability found in a command-line utility to escalate privilege to root. [Identify target system] The adversary first finds a target system that they want to gain elevated priveleges on. This could be a system they already have some level of access to or a system that they will gain unauthorized access at a lower privelege using some other means. [Find injection vector] The adversary identifies command line utilities exposed by the target host that contain buffer overflow vulnerabilites. The adversary likely knows which utilities have these vulnerabilities and what the effected versions are, so they will also obtain version numbers for these utilities. [Craft overflow command] Once the adversary has found a vulnerable utility, they will use their knownledge of the vulnerabilty to create the command that will exploit the buffer overflow. [Overflow the buffer] Using the injection vector, the adversary executes the crafted command, gaining elevated priveleges on the machine. |
High |
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