CVE-2014-3567 in Xcode
Summary
by MITRE
Memory leak in the tls_decrypt_ticket function in t1_lib.c in OpenSSL before 0.9.8zc, 1.0.0 before 1.0.0o, and 1.0.1 before 1.0.1j allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (memory consumption) via a crafted session ticket that triggers an integrity-check failure.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/16/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-3567 represents a critical memory leak flaw within the OpenSSL cryptographic library that affects multiple version streams including 0.9.8zc, 1.0.0o, and 1.0.1j. This issue resides within the tls_decrypt_ticket function located in the t1_lib.c file, which handles the decryption of TLS session tickets used for session resumption. The flaw occurs during the integrity-check process when processing malformed session tickets, creating a condition where memory allocated for ticket processing is not properly released back to the system. This memory management failure directly enables remote attackers to exploit the vulnerability by crafting specially malformed session tickets that trigger the integrity-check failure path, causing the target system to continuously allocate memory without proper cleanup.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability follows a well-defined pattern that aligns with common denial of service attack methodologies. When a server receives a crafted session ticket that fails the integrity check, the tls_decrypt_ticket function enters a code path where it allocates memory buffers for processing the ticket data but fails to free these allocations upon detecting the integrity failure. This memory leak accumulates over time as each malicious session ticket causes additional memory consumption, eventually leading to resource exhaustion that can render the targeted service unavailable to legitimate users. The vulnerability specifically affects the TLS session resumption mechanism, which is a critical optimization feature designed to reduce handshake overhead, making this attack particularly effective against SSL/TLS servers that rely heavily on session tickets for performance optimization.
The operational impact of CVE-2014-3567 extends beyond simple service disruption to potentially compromise system stability and availability across multiple network services that utilize OpenSSL. Servers running vulnerable versions of OpenSSL become increasingly susceptible to memory exhaustion attacks that can be sustained over time, leading to complete service unavailability and potential system crashes. The vulnerability affects a broad range of services including web servers, email servers, and any application that relies on OpenSSL for TLS/SSL encryption. Organizations using affected versions may experience gradual performance degradation before complete service outages, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous for high-availability environments where continuous operation is critical. The memory consumption pattern follows a predictable growth curve that allows attackers to estimate resource requirements for sustained attacks.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2014-3567 primarily focus on immediate version upgrades to patched OpenSSL releases that contain the memory leak fixes. Organizations should prioritize updating their OpenSSL installations to versions 0.9.8zc, 1.0.0o, or 1.0.1j, depending on their current version stream, as these releases contain the necessary code modifications to properly handle memory deallocation during integrity check failures. Additionally, implementing network-level protections such as rate limiting for session ticket processing and monitoring for unusual memory consumption patterns can provide interim defense measures. From a security framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to CWE-401, which specifically addresses improper handling of memory allocation and deallocation, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.1 for resource exhaustion attacks. Network administrators should also consider disabling session tickets entirely as a temporary workaround while implementing proper patches, though this approach reduces performance benefits of TLS session resumption. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper memory management in cryptographic libraries and highlights the need for comprehensive testing of error handling paths in security-critical code components.