CVE-2022-1809
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2022-1809 is an uninitialized pointer access vulnerability in radare2 reverse engineering framework versions before 5.7.0. This allows attackers to potentially execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service by exploiting memory corruption. Users of radare2 for binary analysis, malware research, or CTF competitions are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- radare2
📦 What is this software?
Radare2 by Radare
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Remote code execution leading to complete system compromise, allowing attacker to install malware, exfiltrate data, or pivot to other systems.
Likely Case
Application crash (denial of service) when processing malicious input, potentially corrupting analysis sessions or causing data loss.
If Mitigated
Minimal impact with proper sandboxing and input validation, limited to isolated process termination.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploit requires user to open a malicious binary file. Proof-of-concept exists in the huntr.dev bounty report showing crash reproduction.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 5.7.0 and later
Vendor Advisory: https://github.com/radareorg/radare2/commit/919e3ac1a13f753c73e7a8e8d8bb4a143218732d
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Update radare2 to version 5.7.0 or later using your package manager. 2. For source installations: git pull from official repository and rebuild. 3. Verify installation with 'r2 -v' showing version 5.7.0+.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Sandbox Execution
allRun radare2 in isolated containers or virtual machines to limit potential damage from exploitation.
docker run --rm -it radareorg/radare2:latest
Input Validation
linuxOnly analyze trusted binary files from verified sources. Implement file hash verification before analysis.
sha256sum <file>
md5sum <file>
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Restrict radare2 usage to isolated, non-privileged user accounts with minimal permissions.
- Implement application whitelisting to prevent execution of unauthorized binaries that could exploit the vulnerability.
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Run 'r2 -v' and check if version is below 5.7.0. If command returns 'radare2 5.6.0' or similar lower version, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
r2 -vVerify Fix Applied:
After updating, run 'r2 -v' and confirm version is 5.7.0 or higher. Test with known safe binary files to ensure functionality.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Segmentation fault logs from radare2 process
- Abnormal termination of r2 processes in system logs
- Core dumps from radare2
Network Indicators:
- Unusual outbound connections from radare2 process (though typically offline tool)
SIEM Query:
process_name:"r2" AND (event_type:"crash" OR exit_code:139 OR exit_code:11)