CyberSecBulletin
CVE-2024-45289NVD status: Deferred

FreeBSD: Improper Initialization

Published Updated By the CyberSecBulletin desk

CVE-2024-45289 is a high-severity improper initialization 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 p6, p2, p8 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 0.28% 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 p6 or p2 or p8, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
  2. Until you can update, restrict network access to the affected service so it is not reachable from untrusted networks.

Affected products and versions

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed in
FreeBSDFreeBSD14.1-RELEASE up to, but not including, p6; 13.4-RELEASE up to, but not including, p2; 13.3-RELEASE up to, but not including, p8; 14.1-release up to, but not including, p6; 13.4-release up to, but not including, p2; 13.3-release up to, but not including, p8p6, p2, p8

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
HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
Integrity
NoneNothing can be modified.
Availability
NoneAvailability is not affected.

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N. Scored by CISA (ADP).

Official description

The fetch(3) library uses environment variables for passing certain information, including the revocation file pathname. The environment variable name used by fetch(1) to pass the filename to the library was incorrect, in effect ignoring the option. Fetch would still connect to a host presenting a certificate included in the revocation file passed to the --crl option.

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

The underlying weakness: Improper Initialization

The product does not initialize or incorrectly initializes a resource.

How developers prevent this class of flaw

  • Use a language that does not allow this weakness to occur or provides constructs that make this weakness easier to avoid. For example, in Java, if the programmer does not explicitly initialize a variable, then the code could produce a compile-time error (if the variable is local) or automatically initialize the variable to the default value for the variable's type. In Perl, if explicit initialization is not performed, then a default value of undef is assigned, which is interpreted as 0, false, or an equivalent value depending on the context in which the variable is accessed.
  • Identify all variables and data stores that receive information from external sources, and apply input validation to make sure that they are only initialized to expected values.
  • Explicitly initialize all your variables and other data stores, either during declaration or just before the first usage.

More Improper Initialization vulnerabilities (CWE-665)

Timeline

  1. CVE record published.
  2. CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: yes, technical impact: partial).
  3. Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).

References

Other vulnerabilities in FreeBSD

All FreeBSD vulnerabilities

Recent Improper Initialization vulnerabilities

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