CVE-2017-16359 in radare
Summary
by MITRE
In radare 2.0.1, a pointer wraparound vulnerability exists in store_versioninfo_gnu_verdef() in libr/bin/format/elf/elf.c.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/05/2023
The pointer wraparound vulnerability identified in radare 2.0.1 within the store_versioninfo_gnu_verdef() function represents a critical memory safety issue that can lead to arbitrary code execution or system compromise. This vulnerability specifically affects the ELF binary format parser component of the radare2 framework, which is widely used by security researchers, reverse engineers, and penetration testers for analyzing binary files and debugging applications. The flaw exists in the handling of version information structures within ELF files, particularly when processing GNU version definition entries that are part of the dynamic linking mechanism used by linux systems.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from improper bounds checking and arithmetic operations when processing version definition entries in ELF files. When the store_versioninfo_gnu_verdef() function processes these entries, it calculates pointer offsets and memory locations without adequate validation of potential integer overflows or wraparound conditions. This occurs during the parsing of dynamic symbol version information where the function attempts to allocate memory or access memory regions based on calculated offsets derived from version definition structures. The pointer wraparound happens when arithmetic operations on size or offset values exceed the maximum representable value for the data type, causing the pointer to wrap around to an unexpected memory location. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-191 integer underflow/overflow category, specifically manifesting as a pointer arithmetic error that can result in memory corruption.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant for any system running radare2 version 2.0.1 or earlier that processes untrusted ELF files. Attackers can craft malicious ELF binaries with specially constructed version definition entries that trigger the pointer wraparound condition when the binary is analyzed by radare2. This could lead to memory corruption, application crashes, or potentially remote code execution if the application is running with elevated privileges. The vulnerability is particularly concerning in security analysis environments where analysts frequently process unknown or potentially malicious binaries, as it creates a potential attack vector that could be exploited to compromise the analysis environment itself. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this as a memory corruption vulnerability that could be leveraged for privilege escalation or code execution within the context of software analysis tools.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability involve immediate upgrading to radare2 version 2.0.2 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address the pointer wraparound issue. Additionally, organizations should implement defensive programming practices such as bounds checking and input validation when processing binary files, particularly in environments where untrusted binaries are analyzed. Security researchers and analysts should avoid processing untrusted ELF files with vulnerable versions of radare2, and when possible, use sandboxed environments or virtual machines to isolate binary analysis activities. The fix typically involves implementing proper integer overflow checks and ensuring that pointer arithmetic operations are validated against maximum representable values before memory access operations are performed, preventing the wraparound condition that leads to memory corruption.