CVE-2017-7613 in elfutils
Summary
by MITRE
elflint.c in elfutils 0.168 does not validate the number of sections and the number of segments, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (memory consumption) via a crafted ELF file.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/28/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-7613 resides within the elfutils 0.168 library, specifically in the elflint.c component which is responsible for validating ELF (Executable and Linkable Format) files. This flaw represents a classic case of insufficient input validation that can be exploited to consume excessive system resources. The vulnerability manifests when the elflint utility processes malformed ELF files that contain manipulated section and segment counts, leading to improper memory allocation behavior. The issue stems from the library's failure to properly validate the number of sections and segments present in ELF files before attempting to process them, creating a scenario where attackers can craft specially designed files to trigger memory consumption anomalies.
From a technical perspective, this vulnerability operates at the boundary between input validation and resource management within the ELF file processing pipeline. The flaw allows attackers to specify an excessive number of sections or segments in a crafted ELF file, which causes the elflint utility to allocate memory based on these inflated values without proper bounds checking. This memory allocation behavior can quickly exhaust available system resources, leading to denial of service conditions that affect the availability of the system or service running the elflint utility. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it can be triggered through any process that utilizes the elfutils library for ELF file validation, making it a widespread potential attack vector across systems that rely on this library for binary analysis.
The operational impact of CVE-2017-7613 extends beyond simple resource exhaustion, as it can be leveraged in various attack scenarios including service disruption and system instability. When exploited, the vulnerability can cause the affected system to consume all available memory or CPU resources, effectively rendering the system unusable or causing processes to crash. This makes it particularly dangerous in environments where elfutils is used for automated binary analysis, security scanning, or system monitoring tasks. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-129 as "Improper Validation of Array Index" and can be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1499.100 as "Endpoint Denial of Service" within the context of resource exhaustion attacks. The attack vector is remote and requires no special privileges, as attackers only need to provide a malformed ELF file to trigger the vulnerability.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability involve both immediate patching and defensive programming approaches. The primary solution is to upgrade to a patched version of elfutils that properly validates section and segment counts before processing ELF files. Organizations should also implement input validation controls at multiple layers, including network-level filtering of ELF files and application-level sandboxing of binary analysis processes. Additional defensive measures include monitoring system resource consumption during binary analysis operations and implementing timeouts for processing tasks to prevent indefinite resource exhaustion. Security teams should also consider implementing automated scanning for vulnerable systems and establishing incident response procedures for handling potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability highlights the importance of robust input validation in security-critical libraries and demonstrates how seemingly minor validation flaws can have significant operational impacts on system availability and reliability.