Zero Day Released – 2023-02-14
Patch Released – 2023-02-14
Description:
The vulnerability allows a local user to escalate privileges on the system.
The vulnerability exists due to a boundary error in Windows Common Log File System Driver. A local user can trigger memory corruption and execute arbitrary code with SYSTEM privileges.
Note, the vulnerability is being actively exploited in the wild.
CWE-ID: CWE-119 – Memory corruption / Buffer Overflow
CWE-119 is a common weakness in software security, classified as “Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer” by the Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) standard. This weakness can lead to buffer overflow vulnerabilities, which occur when a program attempts to write data to a memory buffer beyond its intended bounds. Buffer overflow vulnerabilities can be exploited by attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a program to crash.
The CWE-119 weakness typically occurs when a program uses a fixed-size buffer to hold data that can vary in size, such as input received from a network or user input. If the amount of data received exceeds the size of the buffer, the program may write the excess data to adjacent memory locations, potentially overwriting data that is used to control the program’s behavior. This can lead to a variety of consequences, ranging from unexpected program behavior to remote code execution.
Buffer overflow vulnerabilities can be difficult to detect and exploit, as the specific behavior of the program will depend on the contents of the overwritten memory locations. However, attackers can use techniques such as heap spraying or return-oriented programming (ROP) to increase the likelihood of successful exploitation.
To prevent buffer overflow vulnerabilities, software developers can use a variety of techniques, including input validation, range checking, and the use of dynamically allocated memory. When using fixed-size buffers, developers can also use functions such as strncpy or snprintf that include a size parameter to ensure that the buffer is not overwritten. Finally, developers should use programming languages and libraries that provide memory safety guarantees, such as Java or Rust, whenever possible.
Overall, the CWE-119 weakness represents a significant security risk for many types of software applications. It is important for developers to follow best practices for secure software development, including regular code reviews and vulnerability scanning, to minimize the risk of buffer overflow vulnerabilities and other types of software weaknesses.
Advisory: Microsoft Advisory
Vulnerable component: Windows
CVSSv3 score: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:H/RL:O/RC:C (7.8) (High)
Let’s break down what each of these values means:
- CVSS:3.1: This indicates the version of the CVSS scoring system being used, which is 3.1 in this case.
- AV:L: This represents the Attack Vector metric, which measures the complexity of the attack vector required to exploit the vulnerability. The value “L” stands for “Local”, which means that the attacker must have physical access to the vulnerable system or be able to log in to the system using valid credentials.
- AC:L: This represents the Attack Complexity metric, which measures the level of complexity involved in launching an attack. The value “L” stands for “Low”, which means that the attacker does not require specialized skills or resources to exploit the vulnerability.
- PR:L: This represents the Privileges Required metric, which measures the level of privileges an attacker needs to exploit the vulnerability. The value “L” stands for “Low”, which means that the attacker can exploit the vulnerability with privileges that are typically available to a non-administrative user.
- UI:N: This represents the User Interaction metric, which measures the level of user interaction required to exploit the vulnerability. The value “N” stands for “None”, which means that the vulnerability can be exploited without any user interaction.
- S:U: This represents the Scope metric, which measures the extent of the impact of a successful exploit. The value “U” stands for “Unchanged”, which means that the impact is limited to the vulnerable component only.
- C:H: This represents the Confidentiality metric, which measures the degree of confidentiality impact of a successful exploit. The value “H” stands for “High”, which means that the information confidentiality of the system is compromised by the vulnerability.
- I:H: This represents the Integrity metric, which measures the degree of integrity impact of a successful exploit. The value “H” stands for “High”, which means that the data integrity of the system is compromised by the vulnerability.
- A:H: This represents the Availability metric, which measures the degree of availability impact of a successful exploit. The value “H” stands for “High”, which means that the system availability is compromised by the vulnerability.
- E:H: This represents the Exploit Code Maturity metric, which measures the likelihood of an attacker successfully exploiting the vulnerability. The value “H” stands for “High”, which means that there is a proven exploit that can be used to exploit the vulnerability.
- RL:O: This represents the Remediation Level metric, which measures the level of remediation required to eliminate the vulnerability. The value “O” stands for “Official Fix”, which means that an official fix for the vulnerability is not yet available.
- RC:C: This represents the Report Confidence metric, which measures the level of confidence in the validity of the vulnerability report. The value “C” stands for “Confirmed”, which means that the vulnerability has been confirmed by a reliable source.
External links:
https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2023-23376