CVE-2024-29157 in HDF5
Summary
by MITRE • 05/14/2024
HDF5 through 1.14.3 contains a heap buffer overflow in H5HG_read, resulting in the corruption of the instruction pointer and causing denial of service or potential code execution.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/12/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-29157 represents a critical heap buffer overflow flaw within the HDF5 library version 1.14.3 and earlier. This issue manifests in the H5HG_read function which is responsible for reading data from the heap. The flaw arises from insufficient bounds checking when processing heap data structures, allowing an attacker to manipulate memory layout through crafted input files. The vulnerability falls under the category of memory safety issues and specifically aligns with CWE-121 which describes heap-based buffer overflow conditions.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when the H5HG_read function processes malformed heap data without proper validation of buffer boundaries. When an attacker supplies specially crafted HDF5 files containing malicious heap structures, the function attempts to read beyond allocated memory boundaries, corrupting adjacent heap metadata or instruction pointers. This corruption can lead to unpredictable program behavior including crashes, denial of service conditions, or in carefully crafted scenarios potentially enabling remote code execution. The heap buffer overflow directly impacts the memory management subsystem of HDF5 applications, making it particularly dangerous for systems that process untrusted HDF5 data.
The operational impact of CVE-2024-29157 extends beyond simple denial of service to potentially enable more sophisticated attack vectors. Systems utilizing HDF5 for data storage and processing across scientific computing, data analysis platforms, and research environments become vulnerable when they process untrusted input files. Applications that rely on HDF5 libraries for file format handling, data visualization, or scientific data processing are at risk, particularly when these applications lack proper input validation or sandboxing mechanisms. The vulnerability is especially concerning in environments where HDF5 files are shared across different systems or processed automatically without human intervention, as these scenarios provide ideal conditions for exploitation.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2024-29157 should prioritize immediate patching of affected HDF5 library versions to 1.14.4 or later, where the heap buffer overflow has been addressed through proper bounds checking implementation. Organizations should implement input validation controls to sanitize all HDF5 files before processing, particularly when these files originate from untrusted sources. Network segmentation and application sandboxing can help limit the impact of successful exploitation attempts. Additionally, monitoring systems should be configured to detect unusual memory access patterns or application crashes that may indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date software libraries and implementing robust input validation as part of defense-in-depth strategies. Security teams should also consider implementing automated vulnerability scanning tools that can identify systems running vulnerable versions of HDF5 libraries and prioritize remediation efforts accordingly.