CVE-2018-11056 in RSA BSAFE Micro Edition Suite
Summary
by MITRE
RSA BSAFE Micro Edition Suite, prior to 4.1.6.1 (in 4.1.x), and RSA BSAFE Crypto-C Micro Edition versions prior to 4.0.5.3 (in 4.0.x) contain an Uncontrolled Resource Consumption ('Resource Exhaustion') vulnerability when parsing ASN.1 data. A remote attacker could use maliciously constructed ASN.1 data that would exhaust the stack, potentially causing a Denial Of Service.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/06/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-11056 represents a critical resource exhaustion flaw within RSA BSAFE Micro Edition Suite and RSA BSAFE Crypto-C Micro Edition versions. This issue affects software components that handle ASN.1 (Abstract Syntax Notation One) data parsing operations, which are fundamental to cryptographic protocols and secure communications. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and resource management during the parsing process, creating a pathway for malicious actors to exploit the system's stack memory consumption.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs when the affected cryptographic libraries process malformed ASN.1 structures that trigger excessive stack allocation during parsing operations. This uncontrolled resource consumption manifests as a denial of service condition where the system's stack memory becomes exhausted, leading to application crashes or system instability. The flaw specifically impacts the parsing logic within the BSAFE libraries, where recursive or deeply nested ASN.1 structures can cause the stack to grow beyond acceptable limits without proper bounds checking or resource limits.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risks to systems relying on these cryptographic libraries for secure communications, certificate processing, or cryptographic operations. Attackers can remotely exploit this weakness by crafting malicious ASN.1 data that, when processed by vulnerable applications, causes the system to consume excessive stack resources until the service becomes unavailable. The impact extends beyond simple service disruption to potentially compromise the availability of critical cryptographic services in embedded systems, network appliances, and security infrastructure that depend on these libraries.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-400, which categorizes uncontrolled resource consumption as a fundamental weakness in software design that leads to denial of service conditions. This weakness is particularly dangerous in embedded systems and microcontroller environments where stack space is limited and recovery mechanisms may be inadequate. From the ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to the T1499.004 technique related to network denial of service, where adversaries leverage resource exhaustion to disrupt services. The exploitation typically requires minimal privileges and can be executed remotely, making it particularly attractive to threat actors seeking to disrupt availability of targeted systems.
Organizations should prioritize immediate patching of affected systems to address this vulnerability, ensuring that all instances of RSA BSAFE Micro Edition Suite and RSA BSAFE Crypto-C Micro Edition are updated to versions 4.1.6.1 or later for the 4.1.x series, and 4.0.5.3 or later for the 4.0.x series. Additionally, implementing input validation controls and monitoring stack usage patterns can provide additional defense in depth. Network segmentation and access controls should be reviewed to limit exposure of vulnerable components, while regular security assessments should verify that no legacy systems remain running with unpatched versions of these cryptographic libraries.