CVE-2020-28599 – This CVE-2020-28599 is a stack-based buffer ove... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2020-28599?

CVE-2020-28599 has a CVSS score of 7.8 (HIGH). This CVE-2020-28599 is a stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability in OpenSCAD's STL file import functionality. An attacker can craft a malicious STL file that, when processed by OpenSCAD, could lead to arbitrary code execution. Users who process untrusted STL files with vulnerable OpenSCAD versions are affected.

📋 TL;DR

This CVE-2020-28599 is a stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability in OpenSCAD's STL file import functionality. An attacker can craft a malicious STL file that, when processed by OpenSCAD, could lead to arbitrary code execution. Users who process untrusted STL files with vulnerable OpenSCAD versions are affected.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

OpenSCAD

Versions: openscad-2020.12-RC2 and earlier versions

Operating Systems: Linux, Windows, macOS

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: All configurations that process STL files are vulnerable.

📦 What is this software?

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Remote code execution with the privileges of the OpenSCAD process, potentially leading to full system compromise.

🟠

Likely Case

Application crash (denial of service) or limited code execution if exploit attempts fail.

🟢

If Mitigated

No impact if patched or if untrusted STL files are not processed.

🌐 Internet-Facing: LOW - OpenSCAD is typically not an internet-facing service.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Risk exists when processing untrusted STL files internally.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ⚠️ Yes

Weaponized: LIKELY

Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes

Complexity: LOW

Exploitation requires user to open a malicious STL file; no authentication needed.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: OpenSCAD 2021.01 and later

Vendor Advisory: https://github.com/openscad/openscad/releases

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Download OpenSCAD 2021.01 or later from official sources. 2. Install the new version. 3. Restart the application.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Avoid processing untrusted STL files

all

Do not open STL files from untrusted sources with vulnerable OpenSCAD versions.

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Restrict OpenSCAD usage to trusted users only.
Implement application whitelisting to prevent execution of malicious payloads.

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check OpenSCAD version: openscad --version. If version is 2020.12-RC2 or earlier, it's vulnerable.

Check Version:

openscad --version

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify version is 2021.01 or later: openscad --version.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Application crashes when processing STL files
Unusual process behavior after STL file import

Network Indicators:

None - this is a local file processing vulnerability

SIEM Query:

Process:OpenSCAD AND (EventID:1000 OR EventID:1001) AND FileExtension:stl

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2020-28599

CVSS v3 Score: 7.8 (HIGH)

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CWE: CWE-121

Published: February 24, 2021

Last Updated: November 21, 2024

🔗 References

https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/AFXQZK6BAYARVVWBBXDKPVPN3N77PPDX/
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/KRHYUWXQ7QQIC6TXDYYLYFFF7B7L3EBD/
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202107-35 Third Party Advisory
https://talosintelligence.com/vulnerability_reports/TALOS-2020-1223 Exploit,Third Party Advisory
https://www.talosintelligence.com/vulnerability_reports/TALOS-2020-1224 Exploit,Third Party Advisory
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/AFXQZK6BAYARVVWBBXDKPVPN3N77PPDX/
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/KRHYUWXQ7QQIC6TXDYYLYFFF7B7L3EBD/
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202107-35 Third Party Advisory
https://talosintelligence.com/vulnerability_reports/TALOS-2020-1223 Exploit,Third Party Advisory
https://www.talosintelligence.com/vulnerability_reports/TALOS-2020-1224 Exploit,Third Party Advisory

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