CVE-2010-1440 in TeX Live
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple integer overflows in dvipsk/dospecial.c in dvips in TeX Live 2009 and earlier, and teTeX, allow remote attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) or possibly execute arbitrary code via a special command in a DVI file, related to the (1) predospecial and (2) bbdospecial functions, a different vulnerability than CVE-2010-0739.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/09/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2010-1440 represents a critical security flaw in the dvips utility within TeX Live 2009 and earlier versions, as well as in teTeX distributions. This issue resides in the dvipsk/dospecial.c component and specifically affects the predospecial and bbdospecial functions, making it distinct from the related CVE-2010-0739 vulnerability. The flaw manifests as integer overflows that occur when processing specially crafted DVI files, creating a pathway for malicious actors to exploit the system through remote code execution or denial of service attacks.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from improper input validation within the DVI file processing pipeline. When dvips encounters a special command within a DVI file, it attempts to process parameters that are subject to integer overflow conditions. The predospecial and bbdospecial functions fail to properly validate the size parameters or handle large integer values that exceed the bounds of the data types used for storage. This overflow condition can lead to unpredictable behavior in memory allocation, buffer manipulation, and control flow management within the application, ultimately resulting in application crashes or potential code execution.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risks to users and administrators who process DVI files from untrusted sources. The impact extends beyond simple denial of service as the integer overflow conditions may enable attackers to manipulate memory structures and potentially execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the user running the dvips application. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous in environments where users process documents from unknown or potentially malicious sources, such as collaborative editing platforms, document sharing systems, or automated processing environments.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-190, which specifically addresses integer overflow conditions, and demonstrates characteristics consistent with the ATT&CK technique T1203, involving exploitation of software vulnerabilities for privilege escalation. The flaw's impact is amplified by the widespread use of TeX and TeX Live distributions in academic and research environments, where document processing is common and security awareness may be limited. Organizations relying on these systems for document preparation and typesetting are particularly vulnerable to exploitation through crafted DVI files that could be delivered through email attachments, file sharing systems, or web-based document repositories.
Mitigation strategies should prioritize immediate patching of affected systems with updated versions of TeX Live or teTeX that address the integer overflow conditions in the dvips utility. System administrators should implement strict input validation policies for DVI file processing and consider sandboxing or containerization of document processing environments to limit potential impact. Additionally, network segmentation and access controls should be implemented to restrict the processing of untrusted DVI files, while regular security audits should verify that all systems are updated with the latest security patches to prevent exploitation of this and similar vulnerabilities.