CVE-2018-11365 in ReadStat
Summary
by MITRE
sas/readstat_sas7bcat_read.c in libreadstat.a in ReadStat 0.1.1 has an infinite loop.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/07/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-11365 resides within the sas/readstat_sas7bcat_read.c component of libreadstat.a in the ReadStat library version 0.1.1. This library serves as a critical data parsing utility for handling statistical data files, particularly those in SAS format, which are widely used in academic research, government agencies, and financial institutions for storing and exchanging analytical datasets. The flaw manifests as an infinite loop condition that can be triggered when processing malformed or specially crafted SAS7BCAT files, which are catalog files that contain metadata about SAS datasets including variable names, labels, and other structural information.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and error handling within the parsing logic of the SAS catalog file reader. When the library encounters certain malformed data structures within the SAS7BCAT file, the internal loop responsible for processing catalog entries fails to properly increment its iteration counter or check termination conditions. This results in a condition where the loop continues indefinitely, consuming system resources and potentially causing application hang or denial of service. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-835, which specifically addresses the issue of infinite loops or iterations without proper termination conditions, making it a direct implementation of a well-known software flaw pattern that affects the robustness of parsing libraries.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service scenarios, as it can be exploited by malicious actors to disrupt services that depend on ReadStat for data processing. Organizations relying on statistical analysis tools, data warehousing systems, or automated data ingestion pipelines that utilize this library could experience complete service disruption when processing maliciously crafted SAS files. The vulnerability is particularly concerning in environments where automated data processing occurs, as it could lead to cascading failures in data pipelines, system resource exhaustion, and potential data processing delays that could affect downstream analytical operations. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to perform resource exhaustion attacks against systems processing statistical data, potentially causing system instability or complete service outages.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-11365 should prioritize immediate patching of affected systems, as the ReadStat library has been updated to address this specific infinite loop condition. Organizations should implement comprehensive input validation measures and establish monitoring for unusual resource consumption patterns that could indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of robust error handling in parsing libraries, particularly those handling structured data formats that are widely used in enterprise environments. Security teams should also consider implementing sandboxing mechanisms for data processing pipelines and establishing strict file format validation procedures before any statistical data processing occurs, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for execution through scripting and T1496 for resource exhaustion attacks. Additionally, regular security assessments of third-party libraries and dependencies should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other components of the data processing stack, ensuring that the broader attack surface remains protected against similar implementation flaws that could compromise system integrity and availability.