CVE-2018-20998 in arrayfire Crate
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in the arrayfire crate before 3.6.0 for Rust. Addition of the repr() attribute to an enum is mishandled, leading to memory corruption.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/04/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-20998 affects the arrayfire crate version 3.5.0 and earlier in the rust programming language ecosystem. This issue resides within the memory management handling of enum types when the repr() attribute is applied to them. The arrayfire crate is a high-performance library for parallel computing that provides array manipulation capabilities similar to matlab or numpy. The flaw manifests when developers use the repr() attribute to specify the memory layout of an enum, which is a common practice in rust to ensure predictable memory representation for interop scenarios or when working with FFI boundaries.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability stems from improper handling of the repr() attribute within the enum definition process. When the arrayfire crate processes enums with explicit representation attributes, it fails to correctly manage the memory layout assumptions that rust makes when such attributes are applied. This mismanagement leads to situations where memory addresses may be incorrectly calculated or accessed, resulting in memory corruption vulnerabilities. The flaw specifically impacts the internal representation and manipulation of enum values, particularly when these enums are used within array operations or when their memory layout is expected to be consistent with the specified repr() attribute.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant for any rust application that utilizes the arrayfire crate and employs enums with repr() attributes. Memory corruption can lead to arbitrary code execution, application crashes, or data corruption scenarios that compromise system integrity. Attackers could potentially exploit this vulnerability by crafting specific inputs that trigger the problematic enum handling paths within the arrayfire library. The vulnerability is particularly concerning in environments where the arrayfire crate is used for numerical computations, scientific computing, or machine learning applications that process large datasets through array operations. The memory corruption could be leveraged to bypass security controls or escalate privileges depending on the execution context of the vulnerable application.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate upgrading to arrayfire version 3.6.0 or later where the enum handling with repr() attributes has been properly addressed. System administrators and developers should conduct comprehensive code reviews to identify any usage of enums with repr() attributes within their applications that might be indirectly affected through the arrayfire dependency. The fix implemented in version 3.6.0 resolves the memory corruption issue by ensuring proper handling of the repr() attribute during enum processing, thereby maintaining memory safety guarantees that rust normally provides. Additionally, organizations should implement dependency management practices that include automated vulnerability scanning to prevent similar issues from being introduced through third-party libraries. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, which addresses stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and could potentially map to ATT&CK techniques involving privilege escalation or code injection through memory corruption exploits.