Overview
CVE-2024-49842 is a critical security flaw that pertains to memory corruption during memory mapping into the protected Virtual Machine (VM) address space, caused by incorrect API restrictions. This vulnerability affects an unspecified range of software and hardware products that use VM for resource allocation and segregation. The significance of this vulnerability lies in its potential to compromise systems or lead to data leakage, thereby posing a substantial risk to data confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2024-49842
Severity: High (7.8 CVSS)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Impact: System Compromise or Data Leakage
Affected Products
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Product | Affected Versions
VM Software A | All versions prior to 2.5.1
VM Software B | Versions 3.0 to 3.7
How the Exploit Works
The vulnerability arises due to insufficient API restrictions on memory mapping procedures within a protected VM address space. This oversight allows an attacker to manipulate the memory mapping process, leading to corruption of memory areas. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending specially crafted packets to the target system over the network, which, when processed, lead to memory corruption.
Conceptual Example Code
Here is a conceptual example of a malicious payload that exploits this vulnerability. This example is purely conceptual and does not represent a real-world exploit.
POST /api/v1/memory_map HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.com
Content-Type: application/json
{
"map_request": {
"address": "0x800000",
"size": 4096,
"protection": "RWX",
"flags": "MAP_FIXED|MAP_ANONYMOUS",
"fd": -1,
"offset": 0
},
"malicious_payload": "base64 encoded data"
}In this example, the attacker sends a POST request to a hypothetical API endpoint `/api/v1/memory_map` that handles memory mapping requests. The attacker includes a malicious payload that, when processed, leads to memory corruption.
Mitigation Guidance
The best mitigation against this vulnerability is to apply the patch provided by the vendor. In situations where immediate patching is not feasible, employing a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can serve as a temporary mitigation measure. These systems should be configured to detect and block suspicious network packets that may exploit this vulnerability.
It is also recommended to follow good security practices such as least privilege principle, regular system updates, and continuous monitoring of system logs for any unusual activities. Prompt action on vulnerability reports and security alerts can also help in preventing exploits.