Remote code execution in zlib

Published: 2022-08-07 | Updated: 2023-10-23

Risk	High
Patch available	YES
Number of vulnerabilities	2
CVE-ID	CVE-2022-37434 CVE-2022-42800
CWE-ID	CWE-122
Exploitation vector	Network
Public exploit	Public exploit code for vulnerability #1 is available.
Vulnerable software	Zlib Universal components / Libraries / Libraries used by multiple products
Vendor	GNU

Security Bulletin

This security bulletin contains information about 2 vulnerabilities.

1) Heap-based buffer overflow

EUVDB-ID: #VU66153

Risk: High

CVSSv4.0: 8.2 [CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:P/U:Amber]

CVE-ID: CVE-2022-37434

CWE-ID: CWE-122 - Heap-based Buffer Overflow

Exploit availability: Yes

Description

The vulnerability allows a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code on the target system.

The vulnerability exists due to a boundary error when processing a large gzip header within inflateGetHeader in inflate.c. A remote attacker can pass a specially crafted file to the affected application, trigger heap-based buffer overflow and execute arbitrary code on the target system.

Mitigation

Install update from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

Zlib: 0.8 - 1.2.12

CPE2.3

External links

https://github.com/nodejs/node/blob/75b68c6e4db515f76df73af476eccf382bbcb00a/deps/zlib/inflate.c#L762-L764
https://github.com/ivd38/zlib_overflow
https://github.com/madler/zlib/commit/eff308af425b67093bab25f80f1ae950166bece1
https://github.com/madler/zlib/blob/21767c654d31d2dccdde4330529775c6c5fd5389/zlib.h#L1062-L1063
https://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2022/08/05/2

Q & A

Can this vulnerability be exploited remotely?

Yes. This vulnerability can be exploited by a remote non-authenticated attacker via the Internet.

Is there known malware, which exploits this vulnerability?

No. We are not aware of malware exploiting this vulnerability. However, proof of concept for this vulnerability is available.

2) Heap-based buffer overflow

EUVDB-ID: #VU68812