CVE-2021-25908 in fil-ocl Crate
Summary
by MITRE • 01/26/2021
An issue was discovered in the fil-ocl crate through 2021-01-04 for Rust. From can lead to a double free.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/20/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2021-25908 affects the fil-ocl crate, a rust implementation for OpenCL bindings, specifically within its memory management functions. This issue arises from improper handling of memory deallocation operations that can result in a double free condition. The vulnerability was present in versions of the crate released prior to January 4, 2021, making it a significant concern for any systems utilizing this crate for OpenCL operations. The fil-ocl crate serves as an interface between rust applications and OpenCL platforms, enabling parallel computing capabilities across various hardware accelerators including GPUs and FPGAs.
The technical flaw manifests in the memory management subsystem where the crate fails to properly track memory allocation and deallocation states. When certain OpenCL operations are executed, the underlying memory management logic may attempt to free the same memory block twice, leading to a double free condition. This occurs due to inadequate reference counting or memory state tracking mechanisms within the crate's implementation. The double free vulnerability represents a critical flaw in memory safety as it can result in arbitrary code execution, system instability, or denial of service conditions. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it can be exploited by malicious actors to gain unauthorized access to system resources or disrupt normal application operations.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple system crashes or instability. Applications leveraging the fil-ocl crate for parallel computing tasks may experience unpredictable behavior, data corruption, or complete system compromise. Attackers could potentially exploit this double free condition to execute arbitrary code within the context of the application using the crate. This makes the vulnerability particularly concerning for systems handling sensitive data or operating in security-critical environments. The vulnerability affects not only individual applications but also the broader ecosystem of rust applications that depend on this crate for OpenCL functionality, potentially creating widespread security implications across multiple software implementations.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2021-25908 primarily involve updating to the latest version of the fil-ocl crate where the double free issue has been resolved. System administrators and developers should immediately patch their environments to eliminate exposure to this vulnerability. Additionally, implementing runtime protections such as address space layout randomization and stack canaries can provide additional defense-in-depth measures. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-415 which specifically addresses double free conditions in memory management, and it can be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for exploitation through code injection. Organizations should also conduct thorough code reviews of any custom implementations that interact with OpenCL through this crate to ensure no similar memory management flaws exist in their own codebases. Regular vulnerability scanning and dependency management practices should be implemented to prevent similar issues from arising in other components of the software supply chain.