#VU79800 Use-after-free in Apptainer - CVE-2023-30549

Vulnerability identifier: #VU79800

Vulnerability risk: Low

CVSSv4.0: 5.9 [CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U/U:Clear]

CVE-ID: CVE-2023-30549

CWE-ID: CWE-416

Exploitation vector: Local

Exploit availability: No

Vulnerable software:
Apptainer
Client/Desktop applications / Virtualization software

Vendor: The Apptainer Container Project

Description

The vulnerability allows a local user to escalate privileges on the system.

The vulnerability exists due to a use-after-free error in ext4 support. A local user can trigger a use-after-free error and execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges.

Mitigation
Install update from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

Apptainer: 1.1.0 - 1.1.7

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External links
https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/cve-2022-1184
https://www.suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2022-1184.html
https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2022-1184
https://github.com/apptainer/apptainer/security/advisories/GHSA-j4rf-7357-f4cg
https://github.com/apptainer/apptainer/commit/5a4964f5ba9c8d89a0e353b97f51fd607670a9f7
https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2022-1184
https://github.com/apptainer/apptainer/releases/tag/v1.1.8
https://github.com/torvalds/linux/commit/4f04351888a83e595571de672e0a4a8b74f
https://lwn.net/Articles/932136/
https://lwn.net/Articles/932137/
https://github.com/torvalds/linux/commit/2220eaf90992c11d888fe771055d4de3303
https://sylabs.io/2023/04/response-to-cve-2023-30549/

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Q & A

Can this vulnerability be exploited remotely?

No. This vulnerability can be exploited locally. The attacker should have authentication credentials and successfully authenticate on the system.

Is there known malware, which exploits this vulnerability?

No. We are not aware of malware exploiting this vulnerability.