CVE-2019-20052 : Vulnerability Insights and Analysis

The Mat_VarCalloc function in mat.c of matio 1.5.17 has a memory leak due to SafeMulDims not accounting for the case where rank is 0.

Understanding CVE-2019-20052

This CVE involves a memory leak issue in the Mat_VarCalloc function of matio 1.5.17.

What is CVE-2019-20052?

CVE-2019-20052 is a vulnerability in matio 1.5.17 that leads to a memory leak because SafeMulDims fails to handle the scenario where rank equals 0.

The Impact of CVE-2019-20052

The vulnerability could be exploited by an attacker to cause a denial of service or potentially execute arbitrary code by leveraging the memory leak.

Technical Details of CVE-2019-20052

This section provides more technical insights into the CVE.

Vulnerability Description

The issue arises from the Mat_VarCalloc function in mat.c of matio 1.5.17, where SafeMulDims does not consider the case when rank is 0, resulting in a memory leak.

Affected Systems and Versions

Affected Version: matio 1.5.17
Systems using matio 1.5.17 are vulnerable to this memory leak.

Exploitation Mechanism

Attackers can exploit this vulnerability to trigger a memory leak, potentially leading to a denial of service or arbitrary code execution.

Mitigation and Prevention

Protecting systems from CVE-2019-20052 requires immediate actions and long-term security practices.

Immediate Steps to Take

Monitor for any unusual memory consumption patterns that could indicate a memory leak issue.
Consider limiting access to systems running matio 1.5.17 to trusted entities.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update matio to the latest version to patch known vulnerabilities.
Implement secure coding practices to prevent memory leaks and other common vulnerabilities.

Patching and Updates

Apply patches provided by the matio project to address the memory leak in Mat_VarCalloc.