CVE-2023-52277 in RoyalTSX
Summary
by MITRE • 12/31/2023
Royal RoyalTSX before 6.0.2.1 allows attackers to cause a denial of service (Heap Memory Corruption and application crash) or possibly have unspecified other impact via a long hostname in an RTSZ file, if the victim clicks on Test Connection. This occurs during SecureGatewayHost object processing in RAPortCheck.createNWConnection.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/22/2024
RoyalTSX version 6.0.2.1 and earlier contains a heap memory corruption vulnerability that arises from inadequate input validation during hostname processing within RTSZ files. This vulnerability specifically manifests when the application processes a SecureGatewayHost object during the RAPortCheck.createNWConnection operation, where attackers can craft malicious RTSZ files containing excessively long hostnames that trigger memory corruption conditions. The flaw represents a classic buffer overflow scenario where the application fails to properly validate the length of hostname data before attempting to process it, leading to heap corruption that can result in application crashes or potentially more severe consequences. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it requires user interaction through a simple click on the Test Connection feature, making it exploitable through social engineering or phishing attacks where victims might unknowingly open malicious RTSZ files. According to CWE classification, this vulnerability maps to CWE-122 Heap-based Buffer Overflow, which occurs when a program writes more data to a heap buffer than the buffer can hold. The attack vector involves an unauthenticated remote attacker who can craft a malicious RTSZ file containing a hostname exceeding the application's buffer capacity, causing memory corruption during the network connection testing process. The impact extends beyond simple denial of service to potentially enabling arbitrary code execution if the heap corruption affects critical memory structures. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203, which describes exploitation of software vulnerabilities for privilege escalation or code execution, and T1059, covering command and scripting interpreter usage that could be leveraged in subsequent attack phases. The root cause stems from insufficient bounds checking during hostname parsing operations, where the application does not validate that hostname length parameters remain within expected ranges before allocating heap memory for processing. The vulnerability demonstrates a lack of proper input sanitization and validation mechanisms that should be implemented at multiple layers of the application's processing pipeline. The specific context of this flaw occurs during network connection testing operations, which are frequently used during system administration tasks, making the attack surface more expansive than typical vulnerabilities. Organizations using RoyalTSX should immediately implement patch management procedures to upgrade to version 6.0.2.1 or later, where the heap memory corruption has been addressed through proper input validation and buffer size enforcement. Additionally, security teams should consider implementing file validation policies that restrict the types of files users can open, particularly those containing external content like RTSZ files that can contain embedded connection configurations. The vulnerability highlights the importance of robust memory safety practices in applications handling external configuration files and demonstrates how seemingly benign operations like connection testing can become attack vectors when proper input validation is absent. Network monitoring should include detection of unusual hostname lengths in connection testing scenarios, and application sandboxing techniques could provide additional defense in depth against potential exploitation attempts.