CVE-2019-14941 in SHAREit
Summary
by MITRE
SHAREit through 4.0.6.177 does not check the body length from the received packet header (which is used to allocate memory for the next set of data). This could lead to a system denial of service due to uncontrolled memory allocation.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/24/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-14941 affects SHAREit version 4.0.6.177 and earlier, representing a critical memory management flaw that exposes the application to potential denial of service attacks. This issue stems from the application's failure to validate the body length specified in packet headers before proceeding with memory allocation operations. The flaw creates a scenario where malicious actors can manipulate network packets to trigger uncontrolled memory consumption, ultimately leading to system instability and service disruption.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in improper input validation within the network protocol handling mechanism. When SHAREit receives network packets, it extracts a body length value from the packet header to determine how much memory to allocate for the subsequent data payload. However, the application fails to implement any bounds checking or validation of this length value before executing memory allocation functions. This omission allows attackers to craft specially malformed packets containing exaggerated body length values that could cause the application to attempt allocating excessive memory resources. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-129, which addresses improper validation of length values, and represents a classic example of uncontrolled memory allocation that can be exploited through buffer overflow or memory exhaustion techniques.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability presents a significant risk to system availability and stability. When exploited, the vulnerability can cause SHAREit to consume excessive memory resources, potentially leading to application crashes, system slowdowns, or complete system denial of service. The attack vector is particularly concerning as it requires no authentication or special privileges, making it accessible to any remote attacker who can send network packets to the vulnerable application. The memory allocation behavior can be amplified through repeated exploitation attempts, creating sustained denial of service conditions that may persist until the affected system is restarted or the application is manually terminated.
The exploitation of this vulnerability can be categorized under ATT&CK technique T1499, which covers network denial of service attacks, and specifically targets the system's resource management capabilities. The attack operates by leveraging the application's trust in received network data without proper validation, creating a pathway for malicious actors to consume system resources beyond normal operational limits. Organizations running vulnerable versions of SHAREit face potential risks including service interruptions, performance degradation, and possible system instability that could affect other applications sharing the same system resources. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond individual application failure to potentially compromise broader system availability, particularly in environments where SHAREit is used as a primary file transfer mechanism.
Mitigation strategies should focus on implementing proper input validation mechanisms within the network protocol handling code. The most effective approach involves adding strict bounds checking on all length values extracted from packet headers before any memory allocation occurs. This includes implementing maximum length limits that prevent allocation of memory blocks exceeding predefined thresholds. Additionally, developers should consider implementing defensive programming practices such as using safe memory allocation functions that can detect and prevent excessive memory requests. The vulnerability can be addressed through immediate application updates that include proper validation logic, though organizations should also implement network-level controls such as packet filtering and rate limiting to prevent exploitation attempts. Regular security audits of network protocol implementations should be conducted to identify similar validation gaps that could lead to similar memory management vulnerabilities.