CVE-2022-35454 in OTFCC
Summary
by MITRE • 08/17/2022
OTFCC v0.10.4 was discovered to contain a heap-buffer overflow via /release-x64/otfccdump+0x6b05aa.
Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/17/2022
The heap-buffer overflow vulnerability identified in OTFCC v0.10.4 represents a critical security flaw that arises from improper memory management during the processing of font files. This vulnerability specifically manifests within the otfccdump utility at offset 0x6b05aa in the release-x64 binary, indicating a classic buffer over-read condition where the application attempts to access memory beyond the allocated buffer boundaries. The issue stems from insufficient input validation and boundary checking when parsing OpenType font files, creating an exploitable condition that could be leveraged by malicious actors to disrupt system operations or potentially execute arbitrary code.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the application's failure to properly validate the size and structure of font data during parsing operations. When processing malformed or specially crafted font files, the otfccdump utility allocates a buffer of insufficient size to accommodate the expected data, leading to memory corruption when the application attempts to read beyond the allocated memory region. This heap-based buffer overflow creates unpredictable behavior in the application's memory layout and can result in crashes, data corruption, or more severe security implications depending on the execution context and memory arrangement.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to systems that rely on OTFCC for font processing and validation tasks. The impact extends beyond simple application crashes to potentially enable privilege escalation attacks or denial of service conditions that could affect critical infrastructure relying on font rendering capabilities. Attackers could exploit this vulnerability by submitting malicious font files to systems running vulnerable versions of OTFCC, potentially leading to system instability or unauthorized access. The vulnerability's location within the dump utility suggests that it could be triggered during font analysis, conversion, or validation operations, making it particularly dangerous in environments where font processing is automated or frequently performed.
Security mitigations for this heap-buffer overflow should prioritize immediate patching of affected OTFCC versions to the latest release that contains memory safety improvements. Organizations should implement strict input validation and sanitization measures for all font file processing operations, including the deployment of sandboxed environments for font analysis to prevent exploitation from affecting core system operations. Additionally, monitoring systems should be enhanced to detect unusual memory access patterns or application crashes that could indicate exploitation attempts. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-121 heap-based buffer overflow classifications and represents a potential entry point for ATT&CK technique T1059 for executing malicious code through compromised font processing utilities. The remediation approach should include comprehensive code review focusing on memory allocation and boundary checking practices, with particular attention to input validation mechanisms that could prevent similar issues in other font processing components.