CVE-2024-0771 in Product Key Explorer
Summary
by MITRE • 01/22/2024
A vulnerability has been found in Nsasoft Product Key Explorer 4.0.9 and classified as problematic. Affected by this vulnerability is an unknown functionality of the component Registration Handler. The manipulation of the argument Name/Key leads to memory corruption. An attack has to be approached locally. The exploit has been disclosed to the public and may be used. The associated identifier of this vulnerability is VDB-251671. NOTE: The vendor was contacted early about this disclosure but did not respond in any way.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/16/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-0771 represents a critical memory corruption issue within Nsasoft Product Key Explorer version 4.0.9, specifically affecting the Registration Handler component. This flaw manifests when an attacker manipulates the Name/Key argument, creating conditions that lead to unpredictable memory behavior and potential system instability. The vulnerability's classification as problematic indicates a significant security risk that could compromise system integrity and user data confidentiality. The attack vector requires local access, meaning an attacker must already have system-level privileges or physical access to the target machine to exploit this vulnerability effectively.
The technical nature of this memory corruption vulnerability places it within the CWE-121 category of "Stack-based Buffer Overflow" or potentially CWE-122 for heap-based buffer overflows, depending on the exact implementation details of the Registration Handler. Memory corruption vulnerabilities of this nature are particularly dangerous because they can lead to arbitrary code execution, system crashes, or data breaches when exploited properly. The fact that this vulnerability has been publicly disclosed and is known to be exploitable significantly increases the risk profile for affected systems, as malicious actors can leverage existing exploit code without requiring advanced development skills to create custom attack vectors.
The operational impact of CVE-2024-0771 extends beyond simple system instability, potentially allowing for privilege escalation attacks that could enable attackers to gain elevated system rights. When combined with the local access requirement, this vulnerability creates a scenario where insider threats or attackers who have already compromised a system could leverage this weakness to further compromise the environment. The vulnerability's presence in the Registration Handler component suggests that any legitimate user attempting to register or validate product keys could inadvertently trigger the memory corruption, potentially leading to denial of service conditions or more severe compromise scenarios.
Organizations utilizing Nsasoft Product Key Explorer 4.0.9 should immediately implement mitigations including system hardening measures, restricted user permissions, and comprehensive monitoring for unusual registration activities. The lack of vendor response to early disclosure attempts creates additional risk, as there is no official patch or workaround available from the software vendor. Security teams should consider implementing network segmentation to limit local access to systems running this software and establish baseline monitoring for memory corruption indicators. Additionally, the vulnerability's exploitation potential aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for Command and Scripting Interpreter, where attackers might use the memory corruption to execute malicious code, and T1068 for Exploitation for Privilege Escalation, as the local access requirement could be achieved through various initial compromise vectors.
The public disclosure of this vulnerability without vendor response creates a particularly concerning scenario where organizations face an immediate risk without official remediation guidance. This situation mirrors typical zero-day vulnerability handling where the window between discovery and patch availability is critical for maintaining security posture. Given the nature of memory corruption vulnerabilities, organizations should implement immediate defensive measures including runtime application protection, code integrity monitoring, and comprehensive system auditing to detect potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability's classification as a memory corruption issue also suggests that standard antivirus solutions may not detect exploitation attempts effectively, requiring more sophisticated behavioral monitoring and anomaly detection systems to identify potential compromise events.