CyberSecBulletin
CVE-2024-45063NVD status: Modified

FreeBSD: Use After Free

Published Updated By the CyberSecBulletin desk

CVE-2024-45063 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in FreeBSD, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.8 out of 10. It can be exploited with local access to the system by an attacker with a low-privileged account, without any action from a user. The record lists versions p4, p10, p6 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 0.52% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.

Next patch cycle

High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.

What to do

  1. Update FreeBSD to p4 or p10 or p6 or 14.1_p4, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
  2. Read the advisory on security.freebsd.org for workarounds and exact fixed builds.

Affected products and versions

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed in
FreeBSDFreeBSD14.1-RELEASE up to, but not including, p4; 14.0-RELEASE up to, but not including, p10; 13.3-RELEASE up to, but not including, p6; 14.1 up to, but not including, 14.1_p4; 14.0 up to, but not including, 14.0_p10; 13.3 up to, but not including, 13.3_p6p4, p10, p6, 14.1_p4, 14.0_p10, 13.3_p6

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
LocalThe attacker needs local access or must trick a user into running something.
Attack complexity
LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
Privileges required
LowA basic user account is enough.
User interaction
NoneNo action by a victim is required.
Scope
ChangedThe attack can reach beyond the vulnerable component into other systems.
Confidentiality
HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
Integrity
HighData or code can be modified at will.
Availability
HighThe component can be taken down completely.

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H. Scored by NVD.

Scoring systemScoreSeverityScored by
CVSS 3.18.8HighNVD
CVSS 3.19.8CriticalCISA (ADP)

Official description

The function ctl_write_buffer incorrectly set a flag which resulted in a kernel Use-After-Free when a command finished processing. Malicious software running in a guest VM that exposes virtio_scsi can exploit the vulnerabilities to achieve code execution on the host in the bhyve userspace process, which typically runs as root. Note that bhyve runs in a Capsicum sandbox, so malicious code is constrained by the capabilities available to the bhyve process. A malicious iSCSI initiator could achieve remote code execution on the iSCSI target host.

Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.

The underlying weakness: Use After Free

The product reuses or references memory after it has been freed. At some point afterward, the memory may be allocated again and saved in another pointer, while the original pointer references a location somewhere within the new allocation. Any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory belongs to the code that operates on the new pointer.

How developers prevent this class of flaw

  • Choose a language that provides automatic memory management.
  • When freeing pointers, be sure to set them to NULL once they are freed. However, the utilization of multiple or complex data structures may lower the usefulness of this strategy.

More Use After Free vulnerabilities (CWE-416)

Timeline

  1. CVE record published.
  2. CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: no, technical impact: total).
  3. Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).

References

Other vulnerabilities in FreeBSD

All FreeBSD vulnerabilities

Recent Use After Free vulnerabilities

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