CVE-2021-44485 – This CVE describes a NULL pointer dereference v... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2021-44485?

CVE-2021-44485 has a CVSS score of 7.5 (HIGH). This CVE describes a NULL pointer dereference vulnerability in YottaDB that allows attackers to crash the application by triggering a NULL pointer access in the trip_gen function. All users running affected versions of YottaDB are vulnerable to denial of service attacks. The vulnerability requires an attacker to be able to interact with the YottaDB application.

📋 TL;DR

This CVE describes a NULL pointer dereference vulnerability in YottaDB that allows attackers to crash the application by triggering a NULL pointer access in the trip_gen function. All users running affected versions of YottaDB are vulnerable to denial of service attacks. The vulnerability requires an attacker to be able to interact with the YottaDB application.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

YottaDB

Versions: All versions through r1.32 and V7.0-000

Operating Systems: All platforms running YottaDB

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: All YottaDB installations running affected versions are vulnerable regardless of configuration.

📦 What is this software?

Gt.m by Fisglobal

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⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Complete denial of service causing application crash and potential data corruption if the crash occurs during critical database operations.

🟠

Likely Case

Application crash leading to service disruption and potential data loss if unsaved transactions are affected.

🟢

If Mitigated

Limited impact if application runs with proper isolation and monitoring that can detect and restart crashed processes.

🌐 Internet-Facing: MEDIUM - Internet-facing YottaDB instances could be targeted for DoS attacks, but exploitation requires specific conditions.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Internal attackers or compromised systems could crash critical database services affecting business operations.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: MEDIUM

Exploitation requires triggering the specific NULL pointer dereference condition in trip_gen function, which may require specific inputs or conditions.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Versions after r1.32 and V7.0-000

Vendor Advisory: https://gitlab.com/YottaDB/DB/YDB/-/issues/828

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Upgrade YottaDB to version after r1.32 or V7.0-000. 2. Stop all YottaDB processes. 3. Install the updated version. 4. Restart YottaDB processes.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

No known workarounds

all

This is a code-level vulnerability requiring patching

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Implement strict access controls to limit who can interact with YottaDB
Deploy monitoring to detect and automatically restart crashed YottaDB processes

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check YottaDB version using 'ydb -version' or 'mumps -version' and compare against affected versions

Check Version:

ydb -version

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify version is newer than r1.32 or V7.0-000 using 'ydb -version'

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Segmentation fault errors in YottaDB logs
Unexpected process termination of YottaDB processes

Network Indicators:

Sudden drop in database connectivity
Failed database queries after specific operations

SIEM Query:

Process:Name='ydb' AND Event:Type='Process Terminated' AND ExitCode='139' (SIGSEGV)

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2021-44485

CVSS v3 Score: 7.5 (HIGH)

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

CWE: CWE-476

Published: April 15, 2022

Last Updated: November 21, 2024

🔗 References

https://gitlab.com/YottaDB/DB/YDB/-/issues/828 Exploit,Release Notes,Third Party Advisory
https://gitlab.com/YottaDB/DB/YDB/-/issues/828 Exploit,Release Notes,Third Party Advisory

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