CVE-2023-48024 in Liblisp
Summary
by MITRE • 11/17/2023
Liblisp through commit 4c65969 was discovered to contain a use-after-free vulnerability in void hash_destroy(hash_table_t *h) at hash.c
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/24/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-48024 resides within the Liblisp library, specifically in the hash table destruction function hash_destroy within the hash.c file. This use-after-free vulnerability represents a critical memory safety issue that can potentially lead to arbitrary code execution or system instability. The flaw manifests when the hash_destroy function attempts to free memory that has already been released, creating a scenario where subsequent operations may access freed memory locations, leading to unpredictable behavior and potential exploitation by malicious actors.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-416, which specifically addresses use-after-free conditions in software systems. This weakness occurs when a program continues to reference memory after it has been freed, creating opportunities for attackers to manipulate the memory layout or inject malicious code into the freed memory space. The hash_destroy function in Liblisp appears to improperly manage the lifecycle of hash table memory resources, failing to properly invalidate pointers or track memory allocation states before releasing memory back to the system. This flaw demonstrates poor memory management practices that are particularly dangerous in interpreted languages or libraries that handle dynamic data structures extensively.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risks to systems that rely on Liblisp for processing hash-based data structures. The impact extends beyond simple application crashes to potentially enable remote code execution if the library is used in network-facing applications or if the hash table destruction occurs in contexts where user input controls the data structure state. Attackers could exploit this vulnerability by crafting specific hash table operations that trigger the use-after-free condition during destruction, potentially allowing them to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the affected process. The vulnerability's presence in a core hash table implementation means that any application using Liblisp could be exposed to this risk, making it particularly concerning for systems handling sensitive data or operating in untrusted environments.
The exploitation of this vulnerability requires careful crafting of hash table operations that lead to the specific memory access pattern triggering the use-after-free condition. Security professionals should consider this issue in the context of the ATT&CK framework, particularly under the technique of code injection and memory corruption attacks. Mitigation strategies should include immediate patching of the Liblisp library to address the memory management issues in the hash_destroy function, along with implementing proper memory validation checks and pointer invalidation routines. Additionally, system administrators should monitor for any signs of exploitation attempts and consider implementing memory protection mechanisms such as address space layout randomization and stack canaries to reduce the effectiveness of potential exploitation attempts. Organizations relying on Liblisp should also conduct comprehensive code reviews of their applications to identify any other potential use-after-free conditions that may exist in similar memory management patterns throughout their codebase.