CVE-2019-9195 in Grin
Summary
by MITRE
util/src/zip.rs in Grin before 1.0.2 mishandles suspicious files in an archive.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/26/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-9195 resides within the Grin cryptocurrency implementation's archive handling mechanism, specifically in the util/src/zip.rs component. This issue affects versions prior to 1.0.2 and represents a critical security flaw in how the software processes compressed archive files. The vulnerability stems from inadequate validation and sanitization of archive contents, particularly when dealing with suspicious or malformed file entries that could potentially contain malicious payloads or exploit vectors.
The technical flaw manifests in the improper handling of archive entries that contain path traversal attempts, symbolic link constructions, or other potentially dangerous file attributes. When Grin processes zip archives, the zip.rs module fails to adequately validate the file paths and metadata associated with archive entries, allowing attackers to craft malicious archives that could exploit this weakness during decompression. This mismanagement occurs at the parsing and extraction level where the software does not properly sanitize file paths or verify the integrity of archive metadata before processing.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple archive processing failures, as it could enable attackers to execute arbitrary code on systems running vulnerable versions of Grin. An attacker could craft a malicious zip archive containing specially constructed file entries designed to exploit the path traversal vulnerability during decompression. This could result in unauthorized file system access, privilege escalation, or even complete system compromise depending on how the vulnerable software handles the archive extraction process. The attack surface is particularly concerning given that cryptocurrency software often runs with elevated privileges and may process untrusted data from network sources or user inputs.
Security researchers have classified this vulnerability under CWE-22 Path Traversal and CWE-770 Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling categories, which aligns with the exploitation patterns commonly seen in archive handling vulnerabilities. The ATT&CK framework would categorize this under T1059 Command and Scripting Interpreter and potentially T1203 Exploitation for Client Execution, as the vulnerability enables attackers to execute malicious code through compromised archive processing. Organizations running vulnerable versions of Grin should immediately implement mitigations including upgrading to version 1.0.2 or later, implementing strict archive validation policies, and conducting thorough security assessments of systems that process untrusted archive data. Additionally, network segmentation and monitoring should be enhanced to detect potential exploitation attempts targeting this specific vulnerability.