CVE-2019-5105 in CODESYS GatewayService
Summary
by MITRE
An exploitable memory corruption vulnerability exists in the Name Service Client functionality of 3S-Smart Software Solutions CODESYS GatewayService 3.5.13.20. A specially crafted packet can cause a large memcpy, resulting in an access violation and termination of the process. An attacker can send a packet to a device running the GatewayService.exe to trigger this vulnerability.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/12/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-5105 represents a critical memory corruption flaw within the Name Service Client functionality of CODESYS GatewayService version 3.5.13.20. This issue resides in the software's handling of network packets, specifically targeting the memory management operations that occur during packet processing. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and bounds checking within the service's packet parsing mechanism, creating a scenario where maliciously crafted data can trigger unexpected behavior in the application's memory handling routines.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through a carefully constructed network packet that triggers an excessive memory copy operation, commonly referred to as a large memcpy. This flaw manifests when the GatewayService.exe process receives a malformed packet that causes the system to attempt copying an unusually large amount of data into a pre-allocated memory buffer. The absence of proper size validation allows the application to proceed with the memory copy operation beyond the intended buffer boundaries, resulting in memory corruption that manifests as an access violation. This memory corruption ultimately leads to the termination of the GatewayService.exe process, causing a denial of service condition that can disrupt critical industrial automation processes.
The operational impact of CVE-2019-5105 extends beyond simple service disruption, as it can compromise the availability and integrity of industrial control systems that rely on CODESYS GatewayService for network communication. In industrial environments where continuous operation is critical, this vulnerability can result in production halts, data loss, and potential safety risks when automation systems become unresponsive. The vulnerability's exploitability is particularly concerning because it requires minimal attack sophistication, allowing even basic network attackers to trigger the memory corruption through simple packet injection techniques. This makes the vulnerability especially dangerous in operational technology environments where network monitoring may be limited and where attackers can potentially leverage this flaw as a stepping stone for more sophisticated attacks.
From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, which addresses stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and represents a classic example of improper input validation leading to memory corruption. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this type of vulnerability under privilege escalation and denial of service tactics, as attackers can leverage it to disrupt services and potentially gain further access to compromised systems. The vulnerability's location within a gateway service makes it particularly attractive to attackers seeking to establish persistent access within industrial networks, as it provides a potential entry point for lateral movement. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including network segmentation, firewall rules to restrict access to the affected service, and application whitelisting to prevent unauthorized execution of the vulnerable software. Regular security assessments and vulnerability management programs should prioritize this issue due to its potential for causing significant operational disruption in critical infrastructure environments where CODESYS GatewayService is deployed.