CVE-2018-14598
Description
It was discovered that libX11 does not properly validate input coming from the server, causing XListExtensions() and XGetFontPath() functions to produce an invalid list of elements that in turn make XFreeExtensionsList() and XFreeFontPath() access invalid memory. An attacker who can either configure a malicious X server or modify the data coming from one, could use this flaw to crash the application using libX11, resulting in a denial of service.
Statement
This issue did not affect the versions of libX11 as shipped with Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 as they did not include the vulnerable code.
To exploit the vulnerability an attacker would need to have already compromised the X server used by your applications. Normally, the X client that runs libX11 and the X server runs on the same machine, thus if an attacker can trigger this flaw he has already compromised the X server, which runs as root, and he has already full control on the system. If the X client runs on another system than the X server (e.g. DISPLAY environment variable is used and it points to an X server on another system) then exploiting this vulnerability would only crash the client, which should not be run with high privileges. For the above reasons, this flaw was rated as Moderate Impact.
Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) Score Details
Info alert:Important note
CVSS scores for open source components depend on vendor-specific factors (e.g. version or build chain). Therefore, Red Hat's score and impact rating can be different from NVD and other vendors. Red Hat remains the authoritative CVE Naming Authority (CNA) source for its products and services (see Red Hat classifications).
CVSS v3 Score Breakdown
| Red Hat | NVD | cve.org | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Score | 5.9 | 7.5 | N/A |
| Attack Vector | Network | Network | N/A |
| Attack Complexity | High | Low | N/A |
| Privileges Required | None | None | N/A |
| User Interaction | None | None | N/A |
| Scope | Unchanged | Unchanged | N/A |
| Confidentiality | None | None | N/A |
| Integrity Impact | None | None | N/A |
| Availability Impact | High | High | N/A |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
NVD: CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Red Hat CVSS v3 Score Explanation
Attack Complexity set to High (AC:H) due to the requirements of having a malicious X server. See the Statement section for more information.
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Availability
Technical Impact: DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart; DoS: Resource Consumption (CPU); DoS: Resource Consumption (Memory)
An attacker could provide unexpected values and cause a program crash or arbitrary control of resource allocation, leading to excessive consumption of resources such as memory and CPU.
Confidentiality
Technical Impact: Read Memory; Read Files or Directories
An attacker could read confidential data if they are able to control resource references.
Integrity,Confidentiality,Availability
Technical Impact: Modify Memory; Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands
An attacker could use malicious input to modify data or possibly alter control flow in unexpected ways, including arbitrary command execution.
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