In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

powerpc/pseries/memhp: Fix access beyond end of drmem array

dlpar_memory_remove_by_index() may access beyond the bounds of the drmem lmb array when the LMB lookup fails to match an entry with the given DRC index. When the search fails, the cursor is left pointing to &drmem_info->lmbs[drmem_info->n_lmbs], which is one element past the last valid entry in the array. The debug message at the end of the function then dereferences this pointer:

    pr_debug(Failed to hot-remove memory at %llxn,
             lmb->base_addr);

This was found by inspection and confirmed with KASAN:

pseries-hotplug-mem: Attempting to hot-remove LMB, drc index 1234

BUG: KASAN: slab-out-of-bounds in dlpar_memory+0x298/0x1658 Read of size 8 at addr c000000364e97fd0 by task bash/949

dump_stack_lvl+0xa4/0xfc (unreliable) print_report+0x214/0x63c kasan_report+0x140/0x2e0 __asan_load8+0xa8/0xe0 dlpar_memory+0x298/0x1658 handle_dlpar_errorlog+0x130/0x1d0 dlpar_store+0x18c/0x3e0 kobj_attr_store+0x68/0xa0 sysfs_kf_write+0xc4/0x110 kernfs_fop_write_iter+0x26c/0x390 vfs_write+0x2d4/0x4e0 ksys_write+0xac/0x1a0 system_call_exception+0x268/0x530 system_call_vectored_common+0x15c/0x2ec

Allocated by task 1: kasan_save_stack+0x48/0x80 kasan_set_track+0x34/0x50 kasan_save_alloc_info+0x34/0x50 __kasan_kmalloc+0xd0/0x120 __kmalloc+0x8c/0x320 kmalloc_array.constprop.0+0x48/0x5c drmem_init+0x2a0/0x41c do_one_initcall+0xe0/0x5c0 kernel_init_freeable+0x4ec/0x5a0 kernel_init+0x30/0x1e0 ret_from_kernel_user_thread+0x14/0x1c

The buggy address belongs to the object at c000000364e80000 which belongs to the cache kmalloc-128k of size 131072 The buggy address is located 0 bytes to the right of allocated 98256-byte region [c000000364e80000, c000000364e97fd0)

================================================================== pseries-hotplug-mem: Failed to hot-remove memory at 0

Log failed lookups with a separate message and dereference the cursor only when it points to a valid entry.

Weakness

The product uses untrusted input when calculating or using an array index, but the product does not validate or incorrectly validates the index to ensure the index references a valid position within the array.

Affected Software

Potential Mitigations

• For any security checks that are performed on the client side, ensure that these checks are duplicated on the server side, in order to avoid CWE-602. Attackers can bypass the client-side checks by modifying values after the checks have been performed, or by changing the client to remove the client-side checks entirely. Then, these modified values would be submitted to the server.
• Even though client-side checks provide minimal benefits with respect to server-side security, they are still useful. First, they can support intrusion detection. If the server receives input that should have been rejected by the client, then it may be an indication of an attack. Second, client-side error-checking can provide helpful feedback to the user about the expectations for valid input. Third, there may be a reduction in server-side processing time for accidental input errors, although this is typically a small savings.
• Use a language that does not allow this weakness to occur or provides constructs that make this weakness easier to avoid.
• For example, Ada allows the programmer to constrain the values of a variable and languages such as Java and Ruby will allow the programmer to handle exceptions when an out-of-bounds index is accessed.
• Run or compile the software using features or extensions that randomly arrange the positions of a program’s executable and libraries in memory. Because this makes the addresses unpredictable, it can prevent an attacker from reliably jumping to exploitable code.
• Examples include Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR) [REF-58] [REF-60] and Position-Independent Executables (PIE) [REF-64]. Imported modules may be similarly realigned if their default memory addresses conflict with other modules, in a process known as “rebasing” (for Windows) and “prelinking” (for Linux) [REF-1332] using randomly generated addresses. ASLR for libraries cannot be used in conjunction with prelink since it would require relocating the libraries at run-time, defeating the whole purpose of prelinking.
• For more information on these techniques see D3-SAOR (Segment Address Offset Randomization) from D3FEND [REF-1335].
• Use a CPU and operating system that offers Data Execution Protection (using hardware NX or XD bits) or the equivalent techniques that simulate this feature in software, such as PaX [REF-60] [REF-61]. These techniques ensure that any instruction executed is exclusively at a memory address that is part of the code segment.
• For more information on these techniques see D3-PSEP (Process Segment Execution Prevention) from D3FEND [REF-1336].
• Assume all input is malicious. Use an “accept known good” input validation strategy, i.e., use a list of acceptable inputs that strictly conform to specifications. Reject any input that does not strictly conform to specifications, or transform it into something that does.
• When performing input validation, consider all potentially relevant properties, including length, type of input, the full range of acceptable values, missing or extra inputs, syntax, consistency across related fields, and conformance to business rules. As an example of business rule logic, “boat” may be syntactically valid because it only contains alphanumeric characters, but it is not valid if the input is only expected to contain colors such as “red” or “blue.”
• Do not rely exclusively on looking for malicious or malformed inputs. This is likely to miss at least one undesirable input, especially if the code’s environment changes. This can give attackers enough room to bypass the intended validation. However, denylists can be useful for detecting potential attacks or determining which inputs are so malformed that they should be rejected outright.
• When accessing a user-controlled array index, use a stringent range of values that are within the target array. Make sure that you do not allow negative values to be used. That is, verify the minimum as well as the maximum of the range of acceptable values.
• Run the code in a “jail” or similar sandbox environment that enforces strict boundaries between the process and the operating system. This may effectively restrict which files can be accessed in a particular directory or which commands can be executed by the software.
• OS-level examples include the Unix chroot jail, AppArmor, and SELinux. In general, managed code may provide some protection. For example, java.io.FilePermission in the Java SecurityManager allows the software to specify restrictions on file operations.
• This may not be a feasible solution, and it only limits the impact to the operating system; the rest of the application may still be subject to compromise.
• Be careful to avoid CWE-243 and other weaknesses related to jails.

Related Attack Patterns

• https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/100.html

References

• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/026fd977dc50ff4a5e09bfb0603557f104d3f3a0
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/708a4b59baad96c4718dc0bd3a3427d3ab22fedc
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/999a27b3ce9a69d54ccd5db000ec3a447bc43e6d
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9b5f03500bc5b083c0df696d7dd169d7ef3dd0c7
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b582aa1f66411d4adcc1aa55b8c575683fb4687e
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/bb79613a9a704469ddb8d6c6029d532a5cea384c
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/bd68ffce69f6cf8ddd3a3c32549d1d2275e49fc5
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/df16afba2378d985359812c865a15c05c70a967e