CVE-2018-17043 in doc2txt
Summary
by MITRE
An issue has been found in doc2txt through 2014-03-19. It is a heap-based buffer overflow in the function Storage::init in Storage.cpp, called from parse_doc in parse_doc.cpp.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/23/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-17043 represents a critical heap-based buffer overflow affecting the doc2txt utility through its 2014-03-19 release. This flaw exists within the Storage::init function located in Storage.cpp and is triggered when invoked from the parse_doc function in parse_doc.cpp. The issue manifests during document parsing operations where insufficient bounds checking allows malicious input to overwrite adjacent memory regions in the heap allocation space. Such buffer overflow conditions create potential pathways for arbitrary code execution or system instability, particularly when the utility processes untrusted document files. The vulnerability stems from improper validation of input data lengths against allocated buffer boundaries, creating a scenario where attacker-controlled data can exceed the intended storage limits.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, heap-based buffer overflow, which is classified as a fundamental memory safety issue in software development. The flaw operates at the intersection of input validation failure and memory management errors, where the Storage::init function fails to adequately verify that incoming data fits within pre-allocated heap memory regions. This type of vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it can be leveraged for remote code execution or denial of service attacks when the doc2txt utility processes crafted malicious documents. The attack surface expands when considering that doc2txt is often used in automated processing environments where untrusted input might be processed without proper sanitization.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risks to systems that utilize doc2txt for document conversion or analysis tasks. The heap overflow can lead to unpredictable application behavior, system crashes, or potentially allow attackers to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the user running the doc2txt utility. The impact is especially severe in environments where the utility processes documents from untrusted sources such as email attachments, file uploads, or web-based document processing systems. Security analysts should consider this vulnerability in the context of ATT&CK technique T1203, which involves exploitation of software vulnerabilities for privilege escalation and persistent access to target systems.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-17043 should prioritize immediate patching of the affected doc2txt version to address the buffer overflow in Storage::init function. Organizations should implement input validation controls that enforce strict bounds checking on all document processing operations, particularly for file size and structure validation. Additional protective measures include deploying sandboxing mechanisms to isolate document processing operations, implementing network segmentation for systems that utilize doc2txt, and establishing monitoring protocols to detect unusual processing patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. System administrators should also consider disabling or restricting access to the vulnerable utility in environments where untrusted input cannot be adequately validated, thereby reducing the attack surface and potential impact of this heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability.