Unbound NULL Pointer Deref in ub_ctx_set_fwd causes DoS
CVE-2024-43167 Published on August 12, 2024
Unbound: null pointer dereference in unbound
DISPUTE NOTE: this issue does not pose a security risk as it (according to analysis by the original software developer, NLnet Labs) falls within the expected functionality and security controls of the application. Red Hat has made a claim that there is a security risk within Red Hat products. NLnet Labs has no further information about the claim, and suggests that affected Red Hat customers refer to available Red Hat documentation or support channels. ORIGINAL DESCRIPTION: A NULL pointer dereference flaw was found in the ub_ctx_set_fwd function in Unbound. This issue could allow an attacker who can invoke specific sequences of API calls to cause a segmentation fault. When certain API functions such as ub_ctx_set_fwd and ub_ctx_resolvconf are called in a particular order, the program attempts to read from a NULL pointer, leading to a crash. This issue can result in a denial of service by causing the application to terminate unexpectedly.
Vulnerability Analysis
CVE-2024-43167 can be exploited with local system access, requires user interaction and a small amount of user privileges. This vulnerability is considered to have a low attack complexity. Public availability of a proof of concept (POC) exploit exists for CVE-2024-43167. The potential impact of an exploit of this vulnerability is considered to have no impact on confidentiality and integrity, and a small impact on availability.
Timeline
Reported to Red Hat.
Made public. 78 days later.
Weakness Type
NULL Pointer Dereference
A NULL pointer dereference occurs when the application dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid, but is NULL, typically causing a crash or exit. NULL pointer dereference issues can occur through a number of flaws, including race conditions, and simple programming omissions.
Products Associated with CVE-2024-43167
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Affected Versions
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9: Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4: Red Hat OpenStack Platform 16.2: Red Hat OpenStack Platform 17.1: Red Hat OpenStack Platform 18.0:Exploit Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) scores estimate the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. The percentile shows you how this score compares to all other vulnerabilities.