CVE-2021-46500 in Jsish
Summary
by MITRE • 01/28/2022
Jsish v3.5.0 was discovered to contain a heap-use-after-free via jsi_ArgTypeCheck in src/jsiFunc.c. This vulnerability can lead to a Denial of Service (DoS).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/30/2022
The heap-use-after-free vulnerability in Jsish v3.5.0 represents a critical memory safety issue that arises from improper handling of memory allocation and deallocation within the JavaScript interpreter. This flaw specifically manifests in the jsi_ArgTypeCheck function located in the src/jsiFunc.c source file, where the application fails to properly manage object references after memory has been freed, creating opportunities for malicious actors to exploit the system through memory corruption attacks.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the interpreter's argument type checking mechanism which does not adequately verify object lifetimes before performing operations on potentially freed memory segments. When the jsi_ArgTypeCheck function processes function arguments, it may retain references to objects that have already been deallocated from the heap, creating a use-after-free condition that can be leveraged by attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause system instability. This type of vulnerability falls under the common weakness enumeration CWE-416 which specifically addresses use-after-free conditions in software implementations.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service scenarios, as it can potentially enable remote code execution depending on the attack vector and system configuration. An attacker who successfully exploits this heap-use-after-free condition could manipulate the interpreter's memory layout to redirect execution flow, leading to unauthorized system access or complete system compromise. The DoS aspect of this vulnerability represents a direct threat to service availability, as legitimate users may experience application crashes or system unresponsiveness when the interpreter encounters malformed input that triggers the memory corruption.
Security professionals should prioritize immediate mitigation strategies including applying the latest security patches from the Jsish project maintainers, implementing network segmentation to limit exposure, and monitoring system logs for suspicious activity patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under the technique of memory corruption exploits, specifically targeting interpreter-based applications that lack proper memory management safeguards. Organizations utilizing Jsish in production environments should conduct comprehensive security assessments to identify potential attack surfaces and implement additional runtime protections such as address space layout randomization and heap integrity checks to reduce the exploitability of such memory safety issues.