CVE-2024-20724 in Substance 3D Painter
Summary
by MITRE • 02/15/2024
Substance3D - Painter versions 9.1.1 and earlier are affected by an out-of-bounds read vulnerability that could lead to disclosure of sensitive memory. An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to bypass mitigations such as ASLR. Exploitation of this issue requires user interaction in that a victim must open a malicious file.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/06/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-20724 affects Substance3D Painter versions 9.1.1 and earlier, representing a critical out-of-bounds read flaw that exposes sensitive memory regions to potential attackers. This vulnerability resides within the software's file processing mechanisms, specifically when handling malformed or maliciously crafted files that users might encounter during normal operation. The flaw stems from inadequate input validation and memory access controls that fail to properly bounds-check data structures during file parsing operations, creating opportunities for attackers to access memory locations beyond intended boundaries.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions where programs access memory locations beyond the boundaries of allocated buffers. This particular implementation flaw allows an attacker to craft malicious files that, when opened by an unsuspecting user, trigger the out-of-bounds read condition. The memory disclosure occurs during the parsing of file headers or metadata structures where the application does not properly validate array indices or buffer sizes before accessing memory locations. The vulnerability's exploitation requires user interaction, specifically the opening of a malicious file, which places it within the realm of social engineering attacks and file-based exploitation techniques.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant security implications as it can be leveraged to bypass critical exploit mitigations such as Address Space Layout Randomization. When sensitive memory regions are disclosed, attackers can potentially extract information about memory layout, including base addresses of system libraries, stack pointers, or heap structures. This information directly undermines ASLR protections by providing attackers with the memory addresses necessary to craft more sophisticated attacks, including return-oriented programming or jump-oriented programming payloads. The impact extends beyond simple information disclosure as it enables more advanced exploitation techniques that could ultimately lead to arbitrary code execution or privilege escalation within the application's security context.
The attack vector for this vulnerability requires successful social engineering to convince victims to open malicious files, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where users might encounter such files through email attachments, file sharing platforms, or compromised websites. The exploitation process involves crafting a file that triggers the out-of-bounds read condition when the application attempts to parse the file structure, typically during initial file loading or metadata processing phases. Security professionals should consider this vulnerability in the context of the ATT&CK framework, particularly under techniques related to initial access through malicious files and privilege escalation through memory corruption exploits. The vulnerability's remediation requires immediate patching of affected versions, as the out-of-bounds read condition cannot be effectively mitigated through runtime protections alone due to its fundamental nature within the application's parsing logic. Organizations should implement comprehensive file validation procedures, restrict user access to potentially malicious file types, and maintain current security patches to prevent exploitation of this memory disclosure vulnerability.