#VU86807 Out-of-bounds read in c-ares - CVE-2024-25629

Vulnerability identifier: #VU86807

Vulnerability risk: Low

CVSSv4.0: 4 [CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:H/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U/U:Clear]

CVE-ID: CVE-2024-25629

CWE-ID: CWE-125

Exploitation vector: Local

Exploit availability: No

Vulnerable software:
c-ares
Universal components / Libraries / Libraries used by multiple products

Vendor: c-ares.haxx.se

Description

The vulnerability allows a local user to perform a denial of service (DoS) attack.

The vulnerability exists due to a boundary error within the ares__read_line() function when parsing local configuration files, such as `/etc/resolv.conf`, `/etc/nsswitch.conf`, or `HOSTALIASES` file. A local user can insert a NULL character as the first character in a new line into one of the configuration files and crash the application.

Mitigation
Install updates from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

c-ares: 1.0.0 - 1.70.0

---

External links
https://github.com/c-ares/c-ares/security/advisories/GHSA-mg26-v6qh-x48q
https://github.com/c-ares/c-ares/commit/a804c04ddc8245fc8adf0e92368709639125e183

---

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.