Use of Out-of-range Pointer OffsetID: 823 | Date: (C)2012-05-14 (M)2022-10-10 |
Type: weakness | Status: INCOMPLETE |
Abstraction Type: Base |
Description
The program performs pointer arithmetic on a valid pointer, but
it uses an offset that can point outside of the intended range of valid memory
locations for the resulting pointer.
Extended DescriptionWhile a pointer can contain a reference to any arbitrary memory location,
a program typically only intends to use the pointer to access limited
portions of memory, such as contiguous memory used to access an individual
array.Programs may use offsets in order to access fields or sub-elements stored
within structured data. The offset might be out-of-range if it comes from an
untrusted source, is the result of an incorrect calculation, or occurs
because of another error.If an attacker can control or influence the offset so that it points
outside of the intended boundaries of the structure, then the attacker may
be able to read or write to memory locations that are used elsewhere in the
program. As a result, the attack might change the state of the software as
accessed through program variables, cause a crash or instable behavior, and
possibly lead to code execution.
Applicable PlatformsNone
Common Consequences
Scope | Technical Impact | Notes |
---|
Confidentiality | Read memory | If the untrusted pointer is used in a read operation, an attacker
might be able to read sensitive portions of memory. |
Availability | DoS: crash / exit /
restart | If the untrusted pointer references a memory location that is not
accessible to the program, or points to a location that is "malformed"
or larger than expected by a read or write operation, the application
may terminate unexpectedly. |
IntegrityConfidentialityAvailability | Execute unauthorized code or
commandsModify memory | If the untrusted pointer is used in a function call, or points to
unexpected data in a write operation, then code execution may be
possible. |
Detection MethodsNone
Potential MitigationsNone
Relationships
Related CWE | Type | View | Chain |
---|
CWE-823 CanPrecede CWE-787 | Weakness | CWE-1000 | |
Demonstrative ExamplesNone
Observed Examples
- CVE-2010-2160 : Invalid offset in undocumented opcode leads to memory corruption.
- CVE-2010-1281 : Multimedia player uses untrusted value from a file when using file-pointer calculations.
- CVE-2009-3129 : Spreadsheet program processes a record with an invalid size field, which is later used as an offset.
- CVE-2009-2694 : Instant messaging library does not validate an offset value specified in a packet.
- CVE-2009-2687 : Language interpreter does not properly handle invalid offsets in JPEG image, leading to out-of-bounds memory access and crash.
- CVE-2009-0690 : negative offset leads to out-of-bounds read
- CVE-2008-4114 : untrusted offset in kernel
- CVE-2010-2873 : "blind trust" of an offset value while writing heap memory allows corruption of function pointer,leading to code execution
- CVE-2010-2866 : negative value (signed) causes pointer miscalculation
- CVE-2010-2872 : signed values cause incorrect pointer calculation
- CVE-2007-5657 : values used as pointer offsets
- CVE-2010-2867 : a return value from a function is sign-extended if the value is signed, then used as an offset for pointer arithmetic
- CVE-2009-1097 : portions of a GIF image used as offsets, causing corruption of an object pointer.
- CVE-2008-1807 : invalid numeric field leads to a free of arbitrary memory locations, then code execution.
- CVE-2007-2500 : large number of elements leads to a free of an arbitrary address
- CVE-2008-1686 : array index issue (CWE-129) with negative offset, used to dereference a function pointer
- CVE-2010-2878 : "buffer seek" value - basically an offset?
For more examples, refer to CVE relations in the bottom box.
White Box Definitions None
Black Box Definitions None
Taxynomy MappingsNone
References:
- Mark Dowd John McDonald Justin Schuh .The Art of Software Security Assessment 1st Edition. Addison Wesley. Section:'Chapter 6, "Pointer Arithmetic", Page
277.'. Published on 2006.