CVE-2019-12160 in GoHTTP
Summary
by MITRE
GoHTTP through 2017-07-25 has a sendHeader use-after-free.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/21/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-12160 affects GoHTTP versions up to and including the 2017-07-25 release, representing a critical use-after-free condition in the sendHeader function. This type of vulnerability occurs when a program continues to access memory that has already been freed, creating potential opportunities for arbitrary code execution or system compromise. The flaw specifically manifests within the HTTP header handling mechanisms of the GoHTTP library, which is commonly used for implementing HTTP servers and clients in Go applications.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from improper memory management within the sendHeader function where header data structures are freed before all references to them are properly cleared. When an HTTP response is constructed and headers are being sent, the program allocates memory for header information and subsequently frees it during the response processing cycle. However, if the function does not properly manage the lifecycle of these memory objects, references may persist beyond the point of deallocation, creating a use-after-free condition that adversaries can exploit through carefully crafted HTTP requests or responses.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risks to systems utilizing GoHTTP libraries, particularly those handling untrusted HTTP input or serving web applications. Attackers could potentially trigger the use-after-free condition by sending malformed HTTP requests that cause the library to process headers in a way that leads to memory corruption. The impact extends beyond simple application crashes to potentially allow remote code execution, denial of service conditions, or information disclosure depending on how the vulnerability is exploited. Systems running vulnerable versions of GoHTTP are particularly at risk when serving content to untrusted users or when processing HTTP traffic from external sources without proper sanitization.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2019-12160 should prioritize immediate patching of affected GoHTTP versions to the latest stable releases that contain memory management fixes. Organizations should implement network segmentation and monitoring to detect unusual HTTP traffic patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. Additionally, input validation and sanitization measures should be strengthened to prevent malicious header data from reaching vulnerable code paths. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-416, which specifically addresses use-after-free conditions, and may map to ATT&CK techniques involving code injection and privilege escalation through memory corruption exploits. Regular security assessments and dependency management practices should be enhanced to prevent similar issues in other HTTP libraries and components within the application stack.