CVE-2012-0915 in RenRen Talk
Summary
by MITRE
Integer signedness error in RenRen Talk 2.9 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via crafted dimensions of a skin file, leading to a heap-based buffer overflow, as demonstrated using a BMP image.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/29/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2012-0915 represents a critical integer signedness error within RenRen Talk version 2.9 that fundamentally compromises the application's memory safety mechanisms. This flaw exists in the processing logic for skin files, specifically when handling image dimensions within BMP format files. The vulnerability stems from improper handling of signed and unsigned integer values during the parsing of image metadata, creating a scenario where maliciously crafted image dimensions can trigger unexpected behavior in the application's memory management routines.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through a heap-based buffer overflow condition that arises when the application processes a specially crafted BMP image file containing manipulated dimension values. When the application attempts to allocate memory based on these crafted dimensions, the signedness error causes the system to interpret the dimension values incorrectly, leading to insufficient memory allocation or overflow conditions in the heap memory space. This particular flaw demonstrates how seemingly benign image processing operations can become vectors for arbitrary code execution when integer handling is not properly validated.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service scenarios, as it enables remote attackers to achieve arbitrary code execution on systems running vulnerable versions of RenRen Talk. This represents a significant escalation from typical application-level vulnerabilities to system compromise potential, as attackers can leverage the heap overflow to inject and execute malicious code within the application's memory space. The vulnerability affects not only the targeted application but also potentially the underlying operating system through the exploitation of memory corruption mechanisms that bypass standard security protections.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-190, which specifically addresses integer overflow and underflow conditions, and demonstrates how improper integer handling can lead to memory corruption vulnerabilities. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving memory corruption exploits and privilege escalation through application-level vulnerabilities, representing a common attack pattern used in targeting client-side applications. The exploitation requires minimal user interaction beyond viewing or processing the malicious skin file, making it particularly dangerous in social networking contexts where users frequently exchange multimedia content.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability must address both the immediate code-level fixes and broader security posture improvements. The primary solution involves implementing proper integer validation and bounds checking during image dimension processing, ensuring that all dimension values are properly validated before memory allocation occurs. Additionally, employing stack canaries, address space layout randomization, and other exploit mitigation techniques can help reduce the effectiveness of exploitation attempts. Regular security updates and patch management protocols should be enforced to prevent exploitation of similar vulnerabilities in other software components, while also implementing network-level monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts through anomalous file processing patterns.