CVE-2017-15364 in Ccsv
Summary
by MITRE
The foreach function in ext/ccsv.c in Ccsv 1.1.0 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (double free and application crash) or possibly have unspecified other impact via a crafted file.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/06/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-15364 resides within the Ccsv 1.1.0 library, specifically in the foreach function implementation located in ext/ccsv.c. This flaw represents a critical security issue that can be exploited by remote attackers to execute denial of service attacks or potentially achieve other unspecified malicious outcomes through the manipulation of crafted input files. The vulnerability stems from improper memory management practices within the library's CSV processing functionality, which is commonly used for parsing and handling comma-separated values data structures in various applications and systems.
The technical nature of this vulnerability manifests as a double free condition that occurs when the foreach function processes malformed CSV files. When an attacker provides a specially crafted file that triggers the foreach iteration over CSV data, the function fails to properly manage memory allocation and deallocation sequences. This improper handling leads to attempts to free the same memory block twice, which causes the application to crash and results in a denial of service condition. The double free vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it can potentially be leveraged for more sophisticated attacks such as heap corruption or arbitrary code execution, depending on the specific memory layout and application context.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability affects any system or application that relies on Ccsv 1.1.0 for CSV processing capabilities. The remote exploitation capability means that attackers can trigger the vulnerability without requiring local access, making it particularly dangerous in networked environments where CSV files are processed from external sources. Applications that parse user-uploaded CSV files, process data feeds from third parties, or handle CSV data from untrusted sources become vulnerable to this attack vector. The potential for unspecified other impacts suggests that beyond simple denial of service, there may be opportunities for information disclosure, privilege escalation, or further system compromise depending on the execution environment and memory corruption patterns.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-415, which describes improper double-free conditions in memory management, and represents a classic example of how memory safety issues can lead to critical system instability. From an attack framework perspective, this vulnerability would be categorized under the attack technique of resource exhaustion and could be classified as a remote code execution threat within the MITRE ATT&CK framework. Organizations utilizing Ccsv 1.1.0 should immediately implement mitigations including input validation, file format sanitization, and application sandboxing to prevent exploitation. The most effective long-term solution involves upgrading to a patched version of the Ccsv library where the foreach function properly manages memory allocation and deallocation sequences. Additionally, implementing proper error handling and memory validation checks in applications that utilize this library can help prevent exploitation attempts and reduce the attack surface for potential adversaries.