CVE-2022-36152 in tifig
Summary
by MITRE • 08/17/2022
tifig v0.2.2 was discovered to contain a memory leak via operator new[](unsigned long) at /asan/asan_new_delete.cpp.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/17/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-36152 affects the tifig library version 0.2.2 and represents a memory leak issue stemming from improper memory management within the application's heap allocation mechanisms. This particular flaw manifests through the operator new[](unsigned long) function located in the asan/asan_new_delete.cpp file, indicating that the memory allocation process lacks proper deallocation protocols. The issue occurs during runtime when the application attempts to allocate memory blocks for array objects but fails to subsequently release this memory back to the system, leading to progressive memory consumption over time. Such memory leaks are particularly concerning in applications that repeatedly allocate and deallocate memory during their execution lifecycle, as they can eventually exhaust available system resources and cause application instability or crashes.
From a technical perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-401, which specifically addresses improper release of memory after transfer of ownership, and represents a classic example of memory management failure in C++ applications. The flaw demonstrates characteristics consistent with the ATT&CK technique T1070.004, which involves the modification of existing software to insert malicious code or create vulnerabilities, though in this case the modification results in an unintended memory leak rather than malicious intent. The memory leak occurs at the heap management level where the application's memory allocator fails to properly track and release dynamically allocated memory blocks, causing the operating system's virtual memory to become fragmented and ultimately exhausted.
The operational impact of this memory leak vulnerability extends beyond simple resource consumption, potentially leading to system performance degradation, application crashes, and in severe cases, complete system instability when multiple instances of the affected library are running simultaneously. Attackers could potentially exploit this vulnerability to perform resource exhaustion attacks, particularly in environments where tifig is used in high-frequency memory allocation scenarios such as image processing pipelines or real-time data analysis systems. The vulnerability is especially problematic in embedded systems or containerized environments where memory resources are constrained and monitoring capabilities may be limited, making the memory leak more difficult to detect and diagnose.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2022-36152 should focus on immediate code-level fixes including implementing proper memory management protocols with smart pointers, ensuring all dynamically allocated memory is properly deallocated, and conducting comprehensive code reviews to identify similar patterns throughout the codebase. System administrators should monitor memory consumption patterns in applications utilizing tifig and implement automated alerts for unusual memory growth trends. Additionally, upgrading to a patched version of the tifig library is the most effective long-term solution, as the vulnerability stems from fundamental memory management practices that require architectural changes to resolve properly. Organizations should also consider implementing memory leak detection tools and continuous integration testing that includes memory analysis to prevent similar issues from being introduced in future releases.