CyberSecBulletin
CVE-2024-5986NVD status: Deferred

h2oai/h2o-3: External Control of File Name or Path

CVE-2024-5986 is a critical-severity external control of file name or path vulnerability in h2oai/h2o-3 from H2oai, with a CVSS 3.0 base score of 9.1 out of 10. It can be exploited remotely over the network by an unauthenticated attacker, without any action from a user. Affected h2oai/h2o-3 versions: latest and earlier. The record does not name a fixed version, so check the vendor advisory. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.7% chance of exploitation within 30 days, higher than 54% of scored CVEs.

Patch this week

Critical severity: a successful attack would have severe impact.

What to do

  1. Check which version of h2oai/h2o-3 you run against the affected versions below, and install the vendor's latest release.
  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
H2oaih2oai/h2o-3latest and earlierNot stated

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
HighThe component can be taken down completely.

Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H. Scored by CNA (huntr.dev).

Official description

A vulnerability in h2oai/h2o-3 version 3.46.0.1 allows remote attackers to write arbitrary data to any file on the server. This is achieved by exploiting the `/3/Parse` endpoint to inject attacker-controlled data as the header of an empty file, which is then exported using the `/3/Frames/framename/export` endpoint. The impact of this vulnerability includes the potential for remote code execution and complete access to the system running h2o-3, as attackers can overwrite critical files such as private SSH keys or script files.

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

The underlying weakness: External Control of File Name or Path

The product allows user input to control or influence paths or file names that are used in filesystem operations.

How developers prevent this class of flaw

  • When the set of filenames is limited or known, create a mapping from a set of fixed input values (such as numeric IDs) to the actual filenames, and reject all other inputs. For example, ID 1 could map to inbox.txt and ID 2 could map to profile.txt. Features such as the ESAPI AccessReferenceMap provide this capability.
  • Run your code in a jail or similar sandbox environment that enforces strict boundaries between the process and the operating system. This may effectively restrict all access to files within a particular directory. Examples include the Unix chroot jail and AppArmor. In general, managed code may provide some protection. This may not be a feasible solution, and it only limits the impact to the operating system; the rest of your application may still be subject to compromise. Be careful to avoid CWE-243 and other weaknesses related to jails.
  • 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.

More External Control of File Name or Path vulnerabilities (CWE-73)

Timeline

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

References

Other vulnerabilities in h2oai/h2o-3

All h2oai/h2o-3 vulnerabilities

Recent External Control of File Name or Path vulnerabilities

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