CVE-2018-1000122 in cURL
Summary
by MITRE
A buffer over-read exists in curl 7.20.0 to and including curl 7.58.0 in the RTSP+RTP handling code that allows an attacker to cause a denial of service or information leakage
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/21/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-1000122 represents a critical buffer over-read flaw within the curl library that affects versions ranging from 7.20.0 through 7.58.0. This issue specifically resides within the Real-Time Streaming Protocol and RTP handling code components, making it particularly concerning for applications that process multimedia streaming data. The flaw manifests when curl processes RTSP responses containing malformed or specially crafted RTP packets that exceed expected buffer boundaries during memory allocation and data processing operations.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and memory management within the RTSP/RTP processing pipeline. When curl encounters RTSP responses with RTP data that exceeds predetermined buffer limits, the application fails to properly bounds-check memory access operations, leading to memory corruption that can result in arbitrary code execution or information disclosure. This type of vulnerability aligns with CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions, and represents a classic example of memory safety issues that have plagued network libraries for decades. The flaw operates at the intersection of network protocol parsing and memory management, where insufficient validation of incoming data streams creates opportunities for attackers to manipulate memory access patterns.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risks to systems that rely on curl for network communications, particularly those handling multimedia streaming protocols. Attackers can exploit this flaw by crafting malicious RTSP responses that trigger the buffer over-read condition, potentially causing application crashes that result in denial of service attacks against services dependent on curl functionality. More critically, the vulnerability may enable information leakage attacks where adjacent memory regions are accessed beyond intended boundaries, potentially exposing sensitive data such as cryptographic keys, user credentials, or system memory contents. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous in environments where curl is used for web services, media streaming applications, or any system processing untrusted network data through RTSP/RTP protocols.
The attack surface for this vulnerability extends across numerous applications and systems that depend on curl for network operations, including web browsers, media players, network monitoring tools, and server applications that handle streaming media. Systems using curl versions within the affected range are particularly vulnerable when processing RTSP streams, especially those from untrusted sources or when the library is configured to handle RTP data. Organizations should consider this vulnerability in the context of ATT&CK framework category T1210, which covers exploitation of remote services, and T1059, which addresses execution through command and scripting interfaces. Mitigation strategies should prioritize immediate patching of curl installations to versions beyond 7.58.0, alongside implementing network-level controls such as firewalls and intrusion detection systems to monitor and filter suspicious RTSP/RTP traffic patterns.
Organizations should implement comprehensive monitoring of curl-based applications for unusual memory access patterns or service disruptions that may indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of robust input validation and memory safety practices in network libraries, particularly those handling multimedia protocols where complex data structures and streaming behaviors create additional attack vectors. Security teams should conduct thorough inventory assessments to identify all systems using affected curl versions and prioritize remediation efforts based on the criticality of applications and exposure to untrusted network traffic. Additionally, implementing proper memory debugging tools and runtime protections such as address sanitizer or heap protection mechanisms can provide additional layers of defense against similar vulnerabilities in network protocol handling code.