CVE-2018-1000046 in Pyblock
Summary
by MITRE
NASA Pyblock version v1.0 - v1.3 contains a CWE-502 vulnerability in Radar data parsing library that can result in remote code execution. This attack appear to be exploitable via Victim opening a specially crafted radar data file. This vulnerability appears to have been fixed in v1.4.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/06/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-1000046 resides within NASA Pyblock versions 1.0 through 1.3, specifically targeting the radar data parsing library component. This represents a critical security flaw classified under CWE-502, which denotes deserialization of untrusted data, a category of vulnerabilities that frequently leads to remote code execution when improperly handled. The affected software serves as a data processing tool for radar information, making it a potential target for adversaries seeking to compromise systems through malicious data manipulation.
The technical flaw manifests when the radar data parsing library processes specially crafted data files that contain malicious serialized objects. During the deserialization process, the application fails to properly validate or sanitize the incoming data, allowing an attacker to inject malicious code that gets executed within the context of the running application. This vulnerability operates under the principle that the application trusts all data it receives without sufficient verification, creating an attack surface where remote code execution becomes possible through seemingly benign radar data files.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data corruption, as it provides attackers with a pathway to achieve full system compromise. An attacker needing only to convince a victim to open a maliciously crafted radar data file can potentially gain complete control over the affected system. This attack vector aligns with the ATT&CK framework's technique T1059, which describes executing malicious code through various system interfaces, and T1068, which covers the use of elevated privileges to execute commands. The vulnerability's exploitable nature via simple file opening operations makes it particularly dangerous in environments where users regularly process external data sources.
The remediation for this vulnerability required a complete redesign of the data parsing mechanism in NASA Pyblock version 1.4. The fix implemented involved strengthening the deserialization process through proper input validation, implementing secure deserialization practices, and potentially replacing vulnerable libraries with more secure alternatives. Organizations using affected versions should immediately upgrade to version 1.4 or later, as the vulnerability has been completely addressed through these security enhancements. The fix demonstrates the importance of proper data validation in security-critical applications, particularly those handling external data sources, and serves as a reminder of the critical need for secure coding practices in scientific and engineering software environments where trust assumptions may be incorrectly placed.