CVE-2012-4505: Buffer Overflow

Published Oct 9, 2012
·
Updated

An insufficient input validation flaw, leading to a heap-based buffer overflow was found in libproxy 0.3.x in the pxpacreload() function. libproxy allocates a memory to store downloaded proxy.pac proxy auto-configuration file content using the Content-Length size from the remote server's HTTP response header. Allocation size is content length + 1. A malicious host hosting proxy.pac, or a man in the middle attacker, could use this flaw to make libproxy allocate insufficient amount of memory and subsequently overflow a heap-based buffer.

http://code.google.com/p/libproxy/source/browse/tags/libproxy-0.3.1/src/lib/pac.c#165

165 self->cache = pxmalloc0(contentlength+1); 166 for (int recvd=0 ; recvd != contentlength ; ) 167 recvd += recv(sock, self->cache + recvd, contentlength - recvd, 0);

This issue was confirmed with libproxy 0.3.x. Earlier 0.2.x versions seems to be affected too. It does not affect 0.4.x versions, where fixed size buffer is used.

Other sources

Heap-based buffer overflow in the pxpacreload function in lib/pac.c in libproxy 0.2.x and 0.3.x allows remote servers to have an unspecified impact via a crafted Content-Length size in an HTTP response header for a proxy.pac file request, a different vulnerability than CVE-2012-4504.

Affected Software

4 affected componentsFixes available
redhat/libproxy<0.4
0.4
Libproxy Project Libproxy=0.2.3
Libproxy Project Libproxy=0.3.0
Libproxy Project Libproxy=0.3.1

Event History

Oct 9, 2012
Data Sourced
via Red Hat·06:21 PM
DescriptionSeverityAffected Software
Nov 11, 2012
CVE Published
via MITRE·11:00 AM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·11:00 AM
Description
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Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the severity of CVE-2012-4505?

CVE-2012-4505 is classified as a high-severity vulnerability due to its potential to cause a heap-based buffer overflow.

2

How do I fix CVE-2012-4505?

To fix CVE-2012-4505, upgrade libproxy to version 0.4 or higher as older versions are vulnerable.

3

What versions of libproxy are affected by CVE-2012-4505?

CVE-2012-4505 affects libproxy versions 0.2.3, 0.3.0, 0.3.1, and any version below 0.4.

4

What type of vulnerability is CVE-2012-4505?

CVE-2012-4505 is an insufficient input validation vulnerability that leads to a heap-based buffer overflow.

5

Can CVE-2012-4505 be exploited remotely?

Yes, CVE-2012-4505 can potentially be exploited remotely, allowing attackers to execute arbitrary code.

Contact

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