CVE-2019-0802 in Windows
Summary
by MITRE
An information disclosure vulnerability exists when the Windows GDI component improperly discloses the contents of its memory, aka 'Windows GDI Information Disclosure Vulnerability'. This CVE ID is unique from CVE-2019-0849.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/12/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-0802 represents a critical information disclosure flaw within the Windows Graphics Device Interface GDI component. This issue affects multiple Windows operating systems including Windows 7, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2012 R2, and Windows Server 2016. The vulnerability stems from improper memory handling within the GDI subsystem which is responsible for rendering graphics and managing display output operations. When exploited, this flaw allows malicious actors to potentially access sensitive memory contents that should remain protected from unauthorized access. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because GDI serves as a fundamental component in Windows graphics processing and is heavily utilized across various applications and system functions.
The technical implementation of this information disclosure vulnerability occurs within the Windows GDI driver and kernel components that manage graphics operations. The flaw manifests when the system processes certain graphics-related operations that involve memory allocation and deallocation patterns within the GDI subsystem. Specifically, the vulnerability arises from inadequate bounds checking and memory management practices when handling graphics data structures. This allows an attacker to potentially read memory locations that contain sensitive information such as kernel memory contents, application data, or other protected system resources. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-200 as it involves improper information disclosure, and represents a classic example of memory safety issues in kernel-mode drivers.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to enterprise environments and individual users alike. Attackers could potentially leverage this information disclosure to extract sensitive data from system memory, including credentials, application data, or other confidential information that may be stored in memory during graphics processing operations. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it can be exploited remotely through various attack vectors including malicious documents, web content, or network-based attacks that trigger the vulnerable GDI processing code paths. The impact extends beyond simple information disclosure as the leaked memory contents could contain pointers, stack data, or other information that could aid in more sophisticated attacks such as privilege escalation or further exploitation of other system vulnerabilities. This aligns with ATT&CK technique T1005 for data from local system and T1059 for command and scripting interpreter.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2019-0802 should include immediate deployment of Microsoft security updates and patches that address the underlying memory handling issues in the GDI component. Organizations should prioritize patching all affected Windows systems and implement network segmentation to limit potential attack surface exposure. Additionally, monitoring for suspicious graphics-related processes and memory access patterns can help detect exploitation attempts. Security teams should also consider implementing application whitelisting policies to restrict execution of untrusted graphics processing code and maintain regular vulnerability assessments targeting kernel-mode components. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining robust memory safety practices in system drivers and highlights the need for comprehensive security testing of core operating system components that handle sensitive data processing operations.