CVE-2022-36227
Description
A flaw was found in libarchive. A missing check of the return value of the calloc function can cause a NULL pointer dereference in an out-of-memory condition or when a memory allocation limit is reached, resulting in the program linked with libarchive to crash.
Statement
This vulnerability can only be exploited in an out-of-memory condition or when a memory allocation limit is reached. Additionally, the only known security impact of this issue is a denial of service. Due to these conditions, this flaw was rated as having a low severity. The out-of-memory condition is triggered when all physical memory, including swap space, is being used. Furthermore, depending on the configuration, this event can cause the out-of-memory killer (OOM-Killer) to be activated, terminating the application and preventing the NULL pointer dereference from being exploited.
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 | 9.8 | 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 | High | N/A |
| Integrity Impact | None | High | N/A |
| Availability Impact | High | High | N/A |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
NVD: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Red Hat CVSS v3 Score Explanation
This flaw can only be triggered in an out-of-memory condition, to reflect this, the Attack Complexity metric was set to High. Also, as this is a NULL pointer dereference, the only known impact is to Availability, therefore the Confidentiality and Integrity metrics were set to None.
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Availability
Technical Impact: DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart
NULL pointer dereferences usually result in the failure of the process unless exception handling (on some platforms) is available and implemented. Even when exception handling is being used, it can still be very difficult to return the software to a safe state of operation.
Integrity,Confidentiality
Technical Impact: Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands; Read Memory; Modify Memory
In rare circumstances, when NULL is equivalent to the 0x0 memory address and privileged code can access it, then writing or reading memory is possible, which may lead to code execution.
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