CVE-2014-3776 in CHICKEN
Summary
by MITRE
Buffer overflow in the "read-u8vector!" procedure in the srfi-4 unit in CHICKEN stable 4.8.0.7 and development snapshots before 4.9.1 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (memory corruption and application crash) and possibly execute arbitrary code via a "#f" value in the NUM argument.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/16/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-3776 represents a critical buffer overflow flaw within the CHICKEN Scheme implementation's srfi-4 unit, specifically affecting the "read-u8vector!" procedure. This issue exists in CHICKEN versions up to 4.8.0.7 and certain development snapshots prior to 4.9.1, creating a significant security risk for systems relying on this Scheme implementation for processing untrusted data. The flaw manifests when the NUM argument receives a "#f" value, which should be interpreted as a boolean false rather than a numeric quantity, leading to improper memory handling and potential exploitation.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation within the read-u8vector! procedure implementation. When the procedure processes a "#f" value as the NUM argument, the system fails to properly validate the type and range of this parameter, allowing the buffer overflow condition to occur. This type of flaw falls under the CWE-121 CWE category of Stack-based Buffer Overflow, where insufficient bounds checking enables attackers to overwrite adjacent memory locations. The vulnerability operates at the intersection of memory management and input sanitization, where the absence of proper type checking creates a pathway for memory corruption.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service to potentially enabling remote code execution, making it particularly dangerous for network-facing applications. Attackers can leverage this flaw to cause application crashes, leading to denial of service conditions, while the underlying memory corruption could be exploited to execute arbitrary code on the target system. This represents a significant threat to systems where CHICKEN Scheme is used for processing external data inputs, as the vulnerability can be triggered through crafted input parameters that would normally be accepted by the application. The potential for remote code execution places this vulnerability in the high-risk category for enterprise environments.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2014-3776 should prioritize immediate patching of affected CHICKEN installations to version 4.9.1 or later, which contains the necessary fixes for the buffer overflow condition. Organizations should also implement input validation measures that explicitly check for proper numeric types before passing arguments to the read-u8vector! procedure, particularly when handling untrusted data. Network segmentation and application sandboxing can provide additional defense-in-depth layers, while monitoring systems should be configured to detect anomalous behavior patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203 - Exploitation for Client Execution, as it enables attackers to execute malicious code through the exploitation of memory corruption vulnerabilities in application libraries. Additionally, this issue demonstrates the importance of proper input sanitization and bounds checking as outlined in the OWASP Top Ten 2017 category A03: Sensitive Data Exposure, where inadequate validation can lead to memory corruption and privilege escalation opportunities.