CVE-2024-43048 - Memory Corruption Vulnerability in GPU Headroom API when Processing Invalid Input

A critical memory corruption vulnerability (CVE-2024-43048) has been identified in the Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) Headroom API, leading to a potential attack vector for malicious actors. This vulnerability occurs when invalid input is passed to the GPU Headroom API call, potentially allowing an attacker to overwrite memory, execute arbitrary code, or cause a denial-of-service (DoS) condition. In this post, we will delve into the specific exploit details, provide example code snippets, and offer guidance on mitigation and remediation steps.

Exploit Details

The GPU Headroom API is responsible for allocating additional memory resources on the GPU to ensure smooth and efficient graphics rendering. The memory corruption vulnerability occurs when invalid input is introduced to the API call, which fails to handle the erroneous data, resulting in unexpected memory manipulation.

For example, consider the following code snippet originally provided by the framework developers

int gpu_headroom_api_call(int additional_space)
{
  // Allocate space for additional GPU resources
  int* gpu_allocator = (int*)malloc(sizeof(int) * additional_space);

  if (gpu_allocator == NULL)
  {
    // Allocation failed, return error code
    return -1;
  }

  // Call the internal GPU allocator with the requested space
  int result = internal_gpu_allocate(gpu_allocator, additional_space);

  if (result == )
  {
    free(gpu_allocator);
    // Allocation succeeded, return success code
    return ;
  }
  else
  {
    // Allocation failed, return error code
    free(gpu_allocator);
    return -1;
  }
}

By passing an abnormally large value for additional_space, an attacker can trigger a memory allocation failure or overflow, leading to memory corruption. The following sample exploit code demonstrates this vulnerability:

int main()
{
  // Exploit CVE-2024-43048 by passing a large value
  int exploit_result = gpu_headroom_api_call(INT_MAX);

  if (exploit_result == -1)
  {
    printf("Exploit failed, the system might be patched.\n");
  }
  else
  {
    printf("Exploit succeeded.\n");
  }

  return ;
}

Links to the original references

- Vendor Advisory: GPU Headroom API Memory Corruption Vulnerability - CVE-2024-43048
- GPU Headroom API Documentation: Getting Started with GPU Headroom
- CVERecord for CVE-2024-43048: NVD - CVE-2024-43048

Mitigation Measures

To mitigate this vulnerability, developers should implement proper input validation and error handling mechanisms in the GPU Headroom API calls. The following code snippet demonstrates a potential fix by adding input validation:

int gpu_headroom_api_call(int additional_space)
{
  // Validate input for secure memory allocation
  if (additional_space <=  || additional_space > MAX_GPU_ALLOCATION)
  {
    return -1; // Invalid input, return error code
  }

  ... // The rest of the existing code
}

Additionally, developers should make sure to update their respective GPU frameworks with the latest security patches and updates to prevent the exploitation of this memory corruption vulnerability.

In conclusion, CVE-2024-43048 represents a critical memory corruption vulnerability that can potentially lead to significant security incidents when exploited. Developers should carefully review their GPU framework implementations to ensure proper input validation and error handling are in place. Additionally, applications relying on the GPU Headroom API should be updated to ensure they are secure against this attack vector.

Timeline

Published on: 12/02/2024 11:15:08 UTC
Last modified on: 12/12/2024 15:27:48 UTC