CVE-2024-29166 in HDF5
Summary
by MITRE • 05/14/2024
HDF5 through 1.14.3 contains a buffer overflow in H5O__linfo_decode, 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 • 04/19/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-29166 represents a critical buffer overflow flaw within the HDF5 library version 1.14.3 and earlier. This issue manifests in the H5O__linfo_decode function which is responsible for decoding object information within HDF5 files. The flaw occurs when processing specially crafted HDF5 files that contain malformed data structures, specifically targeting the logical information storage mechanism. The buffer overflow vulnerability arises from insufficient bounds checking during the decoding process, allowing an attacker to write beyond the allocated memory buffer and overwrite adjacent memory locations.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability presents significant operational risks as it can lead to arbitrary code execution or complete denial of service conditions. When the vulnerable function processes corrupted input data, the overflow corrupts the instruction pointer which controls program execution flow. This memory corruption can result in unpredictable program behavior, application crashes, or potentially allow remote attackers to execute malicious code with the privileges of the affected application. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because HDF5 is widely used across scientific computing, data storage, and analysis applications where processing untrusted data is common. The flaw is classified under CWE-121 as a stack-based buffer overflow, which directly maps to the ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter execution through malformed data processing.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption as it can compromise entire data processing pipelines that rely on HDF5 libraries. Systems utilizing HDF5 for scientific data analysis, medical imaging, financial data processing, or any application handling large datasets may become vulnerable to remote code execution attacks. The exploitability of this vulnerability is enhanced by the fact that HDF5 files are commonly shared between systems and often processed automatically by applications without extensive validation. Organizations using affected versions should prioritize immediate patching and implement additional safeguards such as input validation, sandboxing of file processing, and network segmentation to limit potential attack vectors. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper memory management and bounds checking in security-critical libraries, particularly those handling complex binary data formats. Mitigation strategies should include regular security updates, deployment of intrusion detection systems monitoring for suspicious file processing activities, and implementation of secure coding practices that prevent similar buffer overflow conditions in future development cycles.