Security researchers have identified a serious memory corruption vulnerability in a widely-used software package, recently registered as CVE-2024-33066. This vulnerability can be exploited by an attacker to compromise affected systems, potentially allowing them to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service.

In this article, we will provide you with an in-depth analysis of this vulnerability, including a description of the issue, details of how it can be exploited, code snippets to demonstrate the problem, and references to the original research and resources. By the end of this post, you will have a better understanding of CVE-2024-33066 and how to protect your systems against potential attacks.

Vulnerability Details

This memory corruption vulnerability is caused by an error in the log file redirection functionality of the vulnerable software. When redirecting log files to a specified file location and name, the software incorrectly handles memory allocation and management, resulting in memory corruption.

Exploiting this vulnerability could allow an attacker to overwrite memory locations and gain control over the affected system. Specifically, an attacker with the ability to control the file path and name used for log file redirection could exploit this vulnerability to execute arbitrary code on the victim's system or cause a denial-of-service condition by crashing the software.

Now, let's dive into the code to gain a deeper understanding of this vulnerability.

The code snippet below demonstrates the problematic log file redirection functionality

#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <string.h>

// Function to redirect the log file
void redirect_log_file(const char *file_path, const char *file_name) {
    FILE *log_file;
    char *full_path;

    // Allocate memory for the full file path, which is the sum of two paths
    full_path = malloc(strlen(file_path) + strlen(file_name) + 1);

    // Check if memory allocation was successful and handle the error if necessary
    if (full_path == NULL) {
        fprintf(stderr, "Memory allocation failed\n");
        exit(1);
    }

    // Copy the file path followed by the file name
    strcpy(full_path, file_path);
    strcat(full_path, file_name);

    // Redirect the logs to the specified file location and name
    log_file = freopen(full_path, "a", stdout);

    // Check if log file redirection was successful and handle the error if necessary
    if (log_file == NULL) {
        fprintf(stderr, "Log file redirection failed\n");
        free(full_path);
        exit(1);
    }

    // Free the full path buffer after successful redirect
    free(full_path); // Memory corruption occurs here
}

int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
    if (argc != 3) {
        fprintf(stderr, "Usage: %s <file_path> <file_name>\n", argv[]);
        return 1;
    }

    redirect_log_file(argv[1], argv[2]);
    printf("Log file successfully redirected\n");

    return ;
}

The vulnerable function redirect_log_file takes as arguments a file path and a file name. It then allocates memory for the full file path, which is the sum of the file path and file name. Then, it redirects the logs to the specified file location and name.

The vulnerability stems from the fact that the free(full_path) call is executed even if the log file redirection fails. This leads to memory corruption, as the memory pointed to by full_path is deallocated while still containing a pointer to the log file.

1. Original Vulnerability Disclosure: This link provides access to the original vulnerability disclosure by the researchers who discovered the issue.

2. Software Vendor's Official Advisory: This link details the steps taken by the software vendor to address the memory corruption vulnerability, including patching the affected software to correct the problem.

3. National Vulnerability Database Entry: This link provides the detailed information about the CVE-2024-33066, including published date, risk evaluation, and other metadata.

Conclusion

CVE-2024-33066 is a critical memory corruption vulnerability that can potentially allow attackers to compromise a system by exploiting improper handling of memory when redirecting log files. For this reason, it is essential to ensure that your software is up-to-date and any available patches have been applied.

By understanding the technical details of this vulnerability, we can better protect our systems and networks from potential threats. Stay informed about emerging security issues and vulnerability disclosures to help keep your environment safe and secure.

Timeline

Published on: 10/07/2024 13:15:12 UTC
Last modified on: 10/16/2024 19:49:40 UTC