CVE-2024-29506
Description
A flaw was found in Ghostscript. The PDFDEBUG flag controls the value of ctx->args.debug. In pdfi_apply_filter. This issue enables the execution of a memcpy into a stack buffer, without bounds checks. A filter name larger than 100 will overflow the str buffer, which may lead to an application crash or other unexpected behavior.
Statement
The buffer overflow vulnerability in Ghostscript's pdfi_apply_filter function, triggered by the PDFDEBUG flag, is classified as a moderate severity issue rather than high priority. This classification stems from the fact that the overflow affects a stack buffer (str) with a fixed size and is specifically related to debug information. While such an overflow could potentially lead to crashes or undefined behavior, its exploitation is constrained to scenarios where an attacker can control the PDFDEBUG flag and provides a filter name exceeding 100 characters. The specific conditions required for triggering the overflow limit its immediate risk compared to vulnerabilities with broader attack vectors or those impacting more critical components. Furthermore, this issue's impact is primarily confined to the application's stability and does not directly enable arbitrary code execution or escalate privileges without additional context.
Mitigation
Mitigation for this issue is either not available or the currently available options do not meet the Red Hat Product Security criteria comprising ease of use and deployment, applicability to widespread installation base or stability.
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).
The following CVSS metrics and score provided are preliminary and subject to review.
CVSS v3 Score Breakdown
| Red Hat | NVD | cve.org | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Score | 5.4 | 8.8 | N/A |
| Attack Vector | Network | Network | N/A |
| Attack Complexity | Low | Low | N/A |
| Privileges Required | None | None | N/A |
| User Interaction | Required | Required | N/A |
| Scope | Unchanged | Unchanged | N/A |
| Confidentiality | None | High | N/A |
| Integrity Impact | Low | High | N/A |
| Availability Impact | Low | High | N/A |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:L
NVD: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Availability
Technical Impact: Modify Memory; DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart; DoS: Resource Consumption (CPU); DoS: Resource Consumption (Memory)
Buffer overflows generally lead to crashes. Other attacks leading to lack of availability are possible, including putting the program into an infinite loop.
Integrity,Confidentiality,Availability,Access Control
Technical Impact: Modify Memory; Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands; Bypass Protection Mechanism
Buffer overflows often can be used to execute arbitrary code, which is usually outside the scope of a program's implicit security policy.
Integrity,Confidentiality,Availability,Access Control,Other
Technical Impact: Modify Memory; Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands; Bypass Protection Mechanism; Other
When the consequence is arbitrary code execution, this can often be used to subvert any other security service.
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