CVE-2022-29486 in Hyperscan Library
Summary
by MITRE • 11/11/2022
Improper buffer restrictions in the Hyperscan library maintained by Intel(R) all versions downloaded before 04/29/2022 may allow an unauthenticated user to potentially enable escalation of privilege via network access.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/06/2025
The Hyperscan library represents a high-performance regular expression matching library developed by Intel for pattern matching applications across various network security and data processing systems. This vulnerability affects all versions of the library released prior to April 29, 2022, creating a critical security gap that could be exploited by unauthenticated attackers. The flaw manifests in improper buffer restrictions that fundamentally compromise the library's memory management capabilities, potentially allowing attackers to manipulate memory structures during pattern matching operations.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from inadequate bounds checking within the library's buffer handling mechanisms. When processing regular expressions or pattern matching operations, the library fails to properly validate input sizes against allocated buffer boundaries. This buffer overflow condition creates opportunities for attackers to overwrite adjacent memory locations, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution. The vulnerability specifically affects how the library manages dynamic memory allocation during complex pattern matching scenarios, where insufficient validation allows malicious input to exceed intended buffer limits.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a significant escalation of privilege risk for systems utilizing Hyperscan in network-facing applications. Attackers who can establish network connections to systems running vulnerable versions of the library may exploit this weakness to gain elevated privileges on affected systems. The unauthenticated nature of the exploit means that no prior credentials or access are required to attempt the attack, making it particularly dangerous for network services that rely on Hyperscan for traffic analysis, intrusion detection, or content filtering. Systems commonly impacted include network security appliances, firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and any application that employs Hyperscan for high-speed pattern matching.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-129, which addresses improper validation of length of inputs to buffers, and represents a classic buffer overflow scenario that could enable privilege escalation attacks. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to T1068, which covers "Exploitation for Privilege Escalation," and potentially T1595, covering "Active Scanning" as attackers would need to identify vulnerable systems. Organizations should immediately update to Hyperscan versions released after April 29, 2022, which contain proper buffer validation mechanisms. Network segmentation and access controls should be implemented to limit exposure, while monitoring systems should be configured to detect unusual network traffic patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. Additionally, application developers should review their implementations to ensure proper input validation and buffer management practices are maintained in their own code that interfaces with the library.