Overview
A high severity vulnerability, CVE-2024-54028, has been identified in the OLE Document DIFAT Parser functionality of catdoc 0.95. This integer underflow vulnerability poses a significant threat as it can lead to heap-based memory corruption. The impact of this vulnerability can potentially result in system compromise or data leakage, hence it is crucial for organizations employing catdoc 0.95 to understand the risk and swiftly apply the necessary mitigation actions.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2024-54028
Severity: High (8.4 CVSS Score)
Attack Vector: Malicious file
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: Required
Impact: System compromise and/or data leakage
Affected Products
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Product | Affected Versions
Catdoc | 0.95
How the Exploit Works
The exploit works by taking advantage of an integer underflow in the OLE Document DIFAT Parser functionality of catdoc 0.95. An attacker crafts a malformed file designed to trigger this vulnerability. Once the malicious file is processed by the vulnerable system, it results in heap-based memory corruption. This corruption can then be leveraged by the attacker to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service, leading to potential system compromise and data leakage.
Conceptual Example Code
While the specifics of the exploit would depend on the system and the attacker’s objectives, a conceptual example might involve a shell command delivering a malicious file to the vulnerable system. It might look something like this:
curl -X POST -H 'Content-Type: application/octet-stream' --data-binary '@malicious_file.doc' https://target_system/catdoc/parseIn this example, ‘malicious_file.doc’ is a specially crafted file designed to trigger the integer underflow vulnerability in catdoc 0.95’s OLE Document DIFAT Parser functionality. The curl command sends this file to the vulnerable system’s catdoc parse endpoint, potentially leading to heap-based memory corruption and further system compromise or data leakage.
Mitigation Guidance
Users who have catdoc 0.95 installed are advised to apply the vendor patch as soon as it is available. In the meantime, employing a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can serve as a temporary mitigation measure, helping to detect and prevent attempts to exploit this vulnerability.