CVE-2022-36078 : Security Advisory and Response

Binary provides encoding/decoding in Borsh and other formats. The vulnerability is a memory allocation vulnerability that can be exploited to allocate slices in memory with excessive size values. This CVE has a CVSS base score of 8.8, indicating a high severity issue.

Understanding CVE-2022-36078

This section will cover what CVE-2022-36078 entails, its impact, technical details, and mitigation steps.

What is CVE-2022-36078?

CVE-2022-36078 is a memory allocation vulnerability in the

binary

encoding/decoding library. It can lead to the allocation of memory with excessive size values, potentially causing memory exhaustion or program crashes. The vulnerability arises from improper handling of slice allocations when parsing data from untrusted sources.

The Impact of CVE-2022-36078

The impact of this vulnerability is significant, with a CVSS base score of 8.8 (High). Attackers can exploit this issue to exhaust available memory or crash the program, posing risks to confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

Technical Details of CVE-2022-36078

Let's delve into the technical aspects of CVE-2022-36078, including the vulnerability description, affected systems and versions, and the exploitation mechanism.

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability in

binary

allows attackers to allocate memory with excessive size values by exploiting the way slices are allocated during data parsing. Specifically, the issue lies in how the length of slices is determined and allocated without proper size verification.

Affected Systems and Versions

The vulnerability affects the

binary

library version less than

0.7.1

. Users running versions prior to

v0.7.1

are advised to upgrade to the patched version to mitigate the risk.

Exploitation Mechanism

By leveraging the

dec.Decode(&val)

method to parse data from untrusted sources into slices, attackers can trigger the memory allocation vulnerability. This could result in allocating memory with excessive size values, leading to potential memory exhaustion or program crashes.

Mitigation and Prevention

In this section, we will outline the steps to mitigate and prevent the exploitation of CVE-2022-36078.

Immediate Steps to Take

Users should upgrade to version

v0.7.1

or higher of the

binary

library to address the vulnerability and prevent potential exploitation.
Avoid relying on the

dec.Decode(&val)

function to parse data from untrusted sources. Instead, consider using a custom

UnmarshalWithDecoder()

method that verifies the length of any slices.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update libraries and dependencies to ensure that known vulnerabilities are patched promptly.
Implement input validation and sanitization to prevent malicious data from triggering vulnerabilities in the code.

Patching and Updates

Keep track of security advisories from library vendors and apply patches promptly. Stay informed about new releases and security updates to maintain a secure development environment.