CVE-2018-17434 in HDF5
Summary
by MITRE
A SIGFPE signal is raised in the function apply_filters() of h5repack_filters.c in the HDF HDF5 through 1.10.3 library during an attempted parse of a crafted HDF file, because of incorrect protection against division by zero. It could allow a remote denial of service attack.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/27/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-17434 represents a critical software flaw within the HDF5 library version 1.10.3 and earlier, specifically affecting the h5repack_filters.c component. This issue manifests as a SIGFPE (Signal Floating Point Exception) signal that occurs during the execution of the apply_filters() function when processing malformed HDF files. The root cause stems from inadequate input validation and error handling mechanisms that fail to properly protect against division by zero operations, creating a scenario where maliciously crafted HDF files can trigger unexpected program termination.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs within the HDF5 library's file parsing infrastructure where the apply_filters() function processes filter configurations during HDF file manipulation operations. When the library encounters a specially constructed HDF file containing malformed filter parameters, the function attempts to perform division operations without proper validation of denominator values, leading to immediate program termination through the SIGFPE signal. This behavior aligns with CWE-369, which specifically addresses the issue of division by zero in software implementations, and represents a classic example of improper input validation that can be exploited for denial of service attacks.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a significant risk to systems that rely on HDF5 library functionality for data processing and storage operations. The remote denial of service attack vector means that adversaries can potentially disrupt services by simply providing maliciously crafted HDF files to any application that utilizes the vulnerable library. This creates cascading effects across various domains including scientific computing, data analysis platforms, and storage systems that depend on HDF5 for their operations. The impact extends beyond simple service disruption as it can affect critical data processing pipelines and potentially compromise system availability in mission-critical environments where HDF5 is extensively used.
The exploitation of this vulnerability demonstrates characteristics consistent with ATT&CK technique T1499.004, which focuses on network denial of service attacks through resource exhaustion or system instability. Security practitioners should consider this vulnerability as part of a broader threat landscape where attackers may attempt to leverage such weaknesses to disrupt data processing workflows. The vulnerability's presence in the h5repack_filters.c component indicates that it specifically affects applications that utilize filter processing capabilities within the HDF5 framework, making it particularly relevant for scientific computing environments, data analysis platforms, and storage solutions that handle large volumes of scientific data.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-17434 should prioritize immediate patching of affected systems with updated versions of the HDF5 library that address the division by zero protection issue. Organizations should implement comprehensive input validation measures for all HDF file processing operations and consider deploying sandboxing mechanisms to isolate potentially malicious file processing activities. Additionally, network segmentation and access controls should be implemented to limit exposure of systems that process HDF files to untrusted sources. The remediation approach should align with industry best practices for vulnerability management and include regular security assessments to identify and address similar issues within other components of the software stack that may be susceptible to similar input validation flaws.