CVE-2010-0407 in PCSC-Lite
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple buffer overflows in the MSGFunctionDemarshall function in winscard_svc.c in the PC/SC Smart Card daemon (aka PCSCD) in MUSCLE PCSC-Lite before 1.5.4 allow local users to gain privileges via crafted message data, which is improperly demarshalled.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/18/2021
The vulnerability described in CVE-2010-0407 represents a critical buffer overflow condition within the PC/SC Smart Card daemon implementation known as PCSCD in the MUSCLE PCSC-Lite software suite. This flaw exists specifically within the MSGFunctionDemarshall function located in the winscard_svc.c source file, making it a fundamental component of the smart card service communication stack. The vulnerability affects versions of PCSC-Lite prior to 1.5.4, indicating a long-standing issue that required significant development attention to address properly.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from improper demarshalling of message data within the daemon's communication processing layer. When the MSGFunctionDemarshall function receives crafted message data from local clients, it fails to properly validate or bound-check the incoming data before copying it into fixed-size buffers. This classic buffer overflow condition allows an attacker to overwrite adjacent memory locations, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution or privilege escalation. The flaw specifically targets the local user context, meaning that exploitation requires local system access but could result in elevated privileges within the smart card service environment.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple local privilege escalation as it affects the core smart card daemon that manages all smart card communications on a system. When successfully exploited, the vulnerability could allow an attacker to gain elevated privileges within the smart card service context, potentially enabling them to manipulate smart card operations, access sensitive cryptographic keys, or compromise the integrity of smart card authentication processes. This represents a significant threat to systems relying on smart card-based authentication, as the compromised daemon could be used to bypass security controls or gain unauthorized access to protected resources.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, which specifically addresses stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and demonstrates how improper input validation can lead to privilege escalation scenarios. From an ATT&CK perspective, this vulnerability maps to privilege escalation techniques where local users can leverage software flaws to gain elevated system privileges. The attack vector requires local access to the system, making it a local privilege escalation vulnerability that could be exploited by malicious users or processes running on the same system. The security implications are particularly severe in enterprise environments where smart card services are commonly used for authentication and access control, as compromise of the daemon could undermine entire security infrastructures relying on smart card authentication.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate patching of affected systems to upgrade to PCSC-Lite version 1.5.4 or later, which contains the necessary fixes for the buffer overflow conditions. System administrators should also implement proper access controls to limit local user access to smart card services and consider monitoring for suspicious communication patterns within the PCSCD daemon. Additional defensive measures include regular security assessments of smart card implementations, network segmentation to isolate smart card services, and ensuring that all system components are regularly updated to address known vulnerabilities. Organizations should also review their smart card authentication policies and implement additional layers of security to reduce the attack surface for such local privilege escalation vectors.