CVE-2018-14743 in PBC
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in libpbc.a in cloudwu PBC through 2017-03-02. A SEGV can occur in wiretype_decode in context.c.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/27/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-14743 represents a critical memory corruption issue within the libpbc.a library, specifically affecting the cloudwu PBC implementation through March 2, 2017. This flaw exists in the wiretype_decode function located within the context.c file, creating a potential for severe system instability and security compromise. The issue manifests as a segmentation fault that can occur during the processing of protocol buffer messages, making it particularly dangerous in environments where such libraries are extensively utilized for data serialization and communication.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and memory handling within the wiretype_decode function. When processing malformed or specially crafted protocol buffer wire format data, the function fails to properly validate the input parameters before attempting to decode the wire type information. This improper handling leads to memory access violations where the application attempts to read or write to memory locations that are either unmapped or protected, resulting in the segmentation fault condition. The vulnerability operates at the core level of protocol buffer processing, making it particularly insidious as it can be triggered through normal data processing operations without requiring special privileges or complex attack vectors.
The operational impact of CVE-2018-14743 extends beyond simple application crashes, potentially enabling more sophisticated attack scenarios including denial of service conditions that can disrupt critical services. Systems utilizing the affected libpbc.a library in high-throughput environments or those processing untrusted data streams become particularly vulnerable to exploitation. The segmentation fault condition can be leveraged by attackers to cause service disruption, potentially leading to system instability or complete application termination. In networked applications, this vulnerability could be exploited through crafted protocol buffer messages sent over the wire, making it a significant concern for distributed systems and microservices architectures that rely heavily on protocol buffer serialization.
Security practitioners should recognize this vulnerability as aligning with CWE-125, which addresses out-of-bounds read conditions, and CWE-787, which covers out-of-bounds write vulnerabilities. The flaw also maps to ATT&CK technique T1203, which involves exploitation of input validation weaknesses, and T1499, covering network denial of service attacks. Organizations using affected versions of the cloudwu PBC library should prioritize immediate patching and remediation efforts, as the vulnerability can be exploited remotely through network-based attacks. Additionally, implementing input validation measures and monitoring for unusual segmentation fault patterns can help detect potential exploitation attempts, while regular security assessments of protocol buffer implementations should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other components of the software stack.
The broader implications of this vulnerability highlight the importance of robust input validation and memory safety practices in protocol buffer implementations. Given the widespread use of protocol buffers in modern distributed systems, similar vulnerabilities in other implementations could pose significant risks to enterprise infrastructure. Security teams should consider implementing automated scanning tools to identify all instances of the affected library across their environments and establish monitoring procedures to detect potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability also underscores the need for comprehensive security testing of serialization libraries, particularly those handling untrusted data inputs, as these components often form critical pathways in software communication architectures.