CVE-2024-52064 in Connext Professional
Summary
by MITRE • 12/13/2024
Buffer Copy without Checking Size of Input ('Classic Buffer Overflow') vulnerability in RTI Connext Professional (Core Libraries) allows Overflow Variables and Tags.This issue affects Connext Professional: from 7.0.0 before 7.3.0.2, from 6.1.0 before 6.1.2.21, from 6.0.0 before 6.0.1.40, from 5.0.0 before 5.3.1.45.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/02/2025
This classic buffer overflow vulnerability exists within RTI Connext Professional's core libraries, specifically affecting versions prior to the mentioned patched releases. The flaw manifests when the system processes input data without properly validating the size constraints before copying data into fixed-size buffers. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-121 which describes classic buffer overflow conditions where insufficient bounds checking allows attackers to overwrite adjacent memory locations. The vulnerability impacts the RTI Connext Professional messaging middleware that facilitates real-time data distribution across distributed systems, making it particularly concerning for industrial control systems and automotive applications that rely on reliable message passing.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs when the software fails to validate the size of incoming variables and tags before copying them into predetermined buffer structures. Attackers can exploit this by crafting malicious input data that exceeds the expected buffer capacity, causing data to spill into adjacent memory regions. This overflow can corrupt program execution flow, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution or system crashes. The vulnerability affects multiple version streams including 7.x series before 7.3.0.2, 6.1.x series before 6.1.2.21, 6.0.x series before 6.0.1.40, and 5.0.x series before 5.3.1.45, indicating a widespread issue across the product's lifecycle. The affected components likely include the core data serialization and deserialization functions that handle variable-length data structures and metadata tags in the DDS (Data Distribution Service) protocol implementation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple system instability to potential security breaches in environments where RTI Connext Professional is deployed. Systems using this middleware for critical infrastructure, automotive systems, aerospace applications, and industrial automation could face significant risks including unauthorized access, data manipulation, or complete system compromise. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 which involves command and script injection, as an attacker could potentially execute arbitrary code through memory corruption. Organizations deploying RTI Connext Professional in operational technology environments should consider this vulnerability as potentially exploitable in environments where network access is granted to untrusted parties. The impact is particularly severe in safety-critical applications where system reliability and security are paramount requirements.
Mitigation strategies should prioritize immediate patching of affected versions to the latest available releases that contain the necessary buffer size validation fixes. Organizations should implement network segmentation to limit access to systems running RTI Connext Professional and consider deploying intrusion detection systems to monitor for suspicious traffic patterns. The fix typically involves implementing proper input validation and bounds checking mechanisms before any memory copy operations occur, ensuring that the size of input data is verified against buffer capacity limits. Security teams should conduct thorough vulnerability assessments of their RTI Connext Professional deployments and establish monitoring procedures to detect potential exploitation attempts. Additionally, implementing runtime protection mechanisms such as address space layout randomization and data execution prevention can provide additional defense-in-depth measures against exploitation attempts. Organizations should also review their software update policies to ensure rapid deployment of security patches across all deployed instances of the middleware.