FreeBSD: Improper Handling of Additional Special Element
CVE-2023-4809 is a high-severity improper handling of additional special element vulnerability in FreeBSD, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.5 out of 10. It can be exploited remotely over the network by an unauthenticated attacker, without any action from a user. The record lists versions p3, p5 as the first without the flaw, so updating FreeBSD to one of those releases or later removes the exposure. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.8% chance of exploitation within 30 days, higher than 57% of scored CVEs.
High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.
What to do
- Update FreeBSD to p3 or p5, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
- Read the advisory on security.freebsd.org for workarounds and exact fixed builds.
- Until you can update, restrict network access to the affected service so it is not reachable from untrusted networks.
Affected products and versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| FreeBSD | FreeBSD | 13.2-RELEASE up to, but not including, p3; 12.4-RELEASE up to, but not including, p5 | p3, p5 |
Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.
How the severity score breaks down
- Attack vector
- NetworkCan be exploited remotely over a network, including the internet.
- Attack complexity
- LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
- Privileges required
- NoneNo account or login is needed.
- User interaction
- NoneNo action by a victim is required.
- Scope
- UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
- Confidentiality
- NoneNo data is disclosed.
- Integrity
- HighData or code can be modified at will.
- Availability
- NoneAvailability is not affected.
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N. Scored by NVD.
Official description
In pf packet processing with a 'scrub fragment reassemble' rule, a packet containing multiple IPv6 fragment headers would be reassembled, and then immediately processed. That is, a packet with multiple fragment extension headers would not be recognized as the correct ultimate payload. Instead a packet with multiple IPv6 fragment headers would unexpectedly be interpreted as a fragmented packet, rather than as whatever the real payload is. As a result, IPv6 fragments may bypass pf firewall rules written on the assumption all fragments have been reassembled and, as a result, be forwarded or processed by the host.
Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.
The underlying weakness: Improper Handling of Additional Special Element
The product receives input from an upstream component, but it does not handle or incorrectly handles when an additional unexpected special element is provided.
How developers prevent this class of flaw
- Developers should anticipate that extra special elements will be injected in the input vectors of their product. Use an appropriate combination of denylists and allowlists to ensure only valid, expected and appropriate input is processed by the system.
- While it is risky to use dynamically-generated query strings, code, or commands that mix control and data together, sometimes it may be unavoidable. Properly quote arguments and escape any special characters within those arguments. The most conservative approach is to escape or filter all characters that do not pass an extremely strict allowlist (such as everything that is not alphanumeric or white space). If some special characters are still needed, such as white space, wrap each argument in quotes after the escaping/filtering step. Be careful of argument injection (CWE-88).
- Inputs should be decoded and canonicalized to the application's current internal representation before being validated (CWE-180). Make sure that the application does not decode the same input twice (CWE-174). Such errors could be used to bypass allowlist validation schemes by introducing dangerous inputs after they have been checked.
More Improper Handling of Additional Special Element vulnerabilities (CWE-167)
Timeline
- CVE record published.
- Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).
References
Third-party and government advisories
- openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/09/08/5Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
- openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/09/08/6Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
- openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/09/08/7Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
Other references
Other vulnerabilities in FreeBSD
- 7.0 High severity
- 7.0 High severity
- 7.0 High severity
- 7.0 High severity
- 7.0 High severity
- 8.4 High severity
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