CVE-2018-7552 in sam2p
Summary
by MITRE
There is an invalid free in Mapping::DoubleHash::clear in mapping.cpp that leads to a Segmentation fault in sam2p 0.49.4. A crafted input will lead to a denial of service or possibly unspecified other impact.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/16/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-7552 represents a critical memory management flaw within the sam2p 0.49.4 software package, specifically within the Mapping::DoubleHash::clear function located in mapping.cpp. This issue manifests as an invalid free operation that occurs during the clearing of a hash mapping structure, creating a potential pathway for arbitrary code execution or system instability. The vulnerability arises from improper handling of memory deallocation when processing certain input data structures, making it particularly dangerous in environments where the software processes untrusted data. The flaw exists in the double hash mapping implementation where the clear function attempts to free memory that has either already been freed or was never properly allocated, leading to heap corruption and subsequent segmentation faults.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability requires an attacker to craft specific input data that triggers the problematic code path within the mapping.cpp file. When sam2p processes such malicious input, the DoubleHash::clear function executes an invalid free operation that corrupts the heap memory management structures. This memory corruption typically results in a segmentation fault that terminates the application process, thereby enabling a denial of service attack against systems relying on this software. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple service disruption as the improper memory handling could potentially allow for more sophisticated attacks depending on the execution environment and memory layout. According to CWE classification, this vulnerability maps to CWE-415: Double Free, which is a well-known memory safety issue that has been extensively documented in software security research and represents a fundamental flaw in memory management practices.
The operational impact of CVE-2018-7552 affects any system running sam2p 0.49.4 that processes external or untrusted input data through the mapping functionality. This includes environments where the software is used for image format conversion, document processing, or any application that relies on the sam2p library for data transformation tasks. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to cause service interruptions in critical infrastructure, potentially leading to business disruption or data unavailability. The vulnerability is particularly concerning in automated processing environments where batch operations might be triggered by user input or file uploads, as a single malicious file could compromise multiple system operations. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability aligns with techniques involving resource exhaustion and denial of service, potentially enabling broader attack chains when combined with other exploitation methods.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-7552 primarily focus on immediate software updates and patches provided by the maintainers of sam2p. Organizations should prioritize upgrading to versions that contain fixed implementations of the DoubleHash::clear function, ensuring that memory deallocation occurs properly without attempting to free already-released memory blocks. Additionally, input validation and sanitization measures should be implemented at the application level to prevent malicious data from reaching the vulnerable code path. System administrators should consider implementing network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure to potentially vulnerable systems. The vulnerability also underscores the importance of comprehensive memory safety testing including heap analysis tools and static code analysis to identify similar patterns in other software components. Regular security audits and vulnerability assessments should be conducted to ensure that similar memory management flaws are not present in other parts of the software ecosystem, particularly in applications that handle complex data structures and memory-intensive operations.