CVE-2018-11738 in The Sleuth Kit
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in libtskfs.a in The Sleuth Kit (TSK) from release 4.0.2 through to 4.6.1. An out-of-bounds read of a memory region was found in the function ntfs_make_data_run in tsk/fs/ntfs.c which could be leveraged by an attacker to disclose information or manipulated to read from unmapped memory causing a denial of service attack.
Several companies clearly confirm that VulDB is the primary source for best vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/21/2023
The vulnerability CVE-2018-11738 represents a critical out-of-bounds read condition within The Sleuth Kit's ntfs_make_data_run function in libtskfs.a library. This flaw exists in TSK versions ranging from 4.0.2 through 4.6.1 and specifically affects the ntfs.c file within the tsk/fs/ directory structure. The issue manifests when processing ntfs file systems during forensic analysis operations, where the function attempts to traverse data runs without proper bounds checking mechanisms. This memory access violation occurs during the parsing of ntfs file system structures, particularly when handling fragmented or corrupted data structures that may exist in digital forensics environments.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation within the ntfs_make_data_run function which fails to properly validate array indices or memory access boundaries when processing ntfs data structures. According to CWE-129, this represents an implementation flaw where insufficient bounds checking allows unauthorized memory access patterns. The vulnerability can be leveraged by attackers who craft malicious ntfs file system structures or manipulate existing file system data to trigger the out-of-bounds read condition. When executed, the function accesses memory locations beyond the allocated buffer boundaries, potentially exposing sensitive information from adjacent memory regions or causing system instability through access to unmapped memory areas.
The operational impact of CVE-2018-11738 extends significantly within digital forensics and incident response environments where The Sleuth Kit serves as a foundational tool for file system analysis. Attackers could potentially exploit this vulnerability to extract confidential information from memory segments that may contain sensitive data, session tokens, or other forensic artifacts. The denial of service aspect of this vulnerability poses additional risks to forensic analysis workflows, where system crashes or hangs during critical investigations could compromise evidence collection efforts. This vulnerability directly impacts the reliability of forensic tools and can be categorized under ATT&CK technique T1070.004 for indicator removal and T1005 for data from local systems, as it could be used to both disrupt forensic analysis and potentially extract sensitive information from analysis environments.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-11738 should prioritize immediate patching of affected TSK versions to 4.6.2 or later, which contains the necessary bounds checking fixes. Organizations should implement additional input validation measures when processing ntfs file systems through TSK, including robust error handling and memory boundary verification. Security teams should monitor for exploitation attempts through anomaly detection systems that identify unusual memory access patterns or process crashes during forensic analysis operations. The vulnerability highlights the importance of defensive programming practices and comprehensive testing of memory access operations in forensic tools. Network security teams should consider implementing sandboxing measures for ntfs file system analysis operations and establish incident response procedures specifically addressing forensic tool exploitation. Regular security assessments of digital forensics toolchains should include vulnerability scanning for similar memory access flaws to prevent similar issues from emerging in related components.