CVE-2013-7290 in memcached
Summary
by MITRE
The do_item_get function in items.c in memcached 1.4.4 and other versions before 1.4.17, when running in verbose mode, allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (segmentation fault) via a request to delete a key, which does not account for the lack of a null terminator in the key and triggers a buffer over-read when printing to stderr, a different vulnerability than CVE-2013-0179.
If you want to get best quality of vulnerability data, you may have to visit VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/31/2022
The vulnerability described in CVE-2013-7290 represents a critical buffer over-read flaw in the memcached caching system that can be exploited to trigger a denial of service condition. This issue specifically affects memcached versions prior to 1.4.17, with the vulnerable function being do_item_get in the items.c source file. The vulnerability manifests when the application operates in verbose mode, which enables detailed logging output to stderr. When a remote attacker sends a malicious delete request for a key, the system fails to properly validate the key's null termination, creating a condition where memory beyond the allocated buffer is accessed during the logging process.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through a carefully crafted delete request that manipulates the key parameter in a way that bypasses normal null termination checks. When memcached attempts to log this operation to stderr during verbose mode execution, the function reads beyond the allocated memory boundaries, causing a segmentation fault that crashes the memcached process. This behavior differs from CVE-2013-0179, which addresses a separate but related issue in the same software, demonstrating how multiple vulnerabilities can exist within the same codebase and affect similar operational contexts. The flaw essentially creates a situation where the logging mechanism becomes a vector for crashing the application rather than a diagnostic tool.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risk to systems relying on memcached for caching operations, as it can be exploited remotely without authentication to cause service disruption. The impact extends beyond simple denial of service, as the segmentation fault can potentially be leveraged to crash the entire caching infrastructure, affecting all applications dependent on that memcached instance. Organizations running vulnerable versions of memcached face the risk of service availability issues that could cascade through their entire application stack, particularly in high-traffic environments where caching performance is critical. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it can be triggered by any user with network access to the memcached service, making it a low-effort, high-impact attack vector.
The root cause of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, which addresses stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and demonstrates poor input validation practices in the logging subsystem. From an attack perspective, this vulnerability maps to several ATT&CK techniques including TA0043 (Reconnaissance) and TA0045 (Denial of Service) as attackers can identify the service and exploit it to cause availability issues. The vulnerability also reflects broader security concerns related to memory safety and proper buffer management in C-based applications, highlighting the importance of defensive programming practices and thorough input validation. Organizations should implement immediate mitigation strategies including upgrading to memcached version 1.4.17 or later, disabling verbose mode in production environments, and implementing network-level controls to restrict access to memcached services. Additionally, monitoring systems should be configured to detect abnormal process termination patterns that could indicate exploitation attempts.