CVE-2023-29824
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2023-29824 is a use-after-free vulnerability in the Py_FindObjects() function in SciPy versions before 1.8.0. This could potentially allow attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service by exploiting memory corruption. However, both the vendor and discoverer indicate this is not a security issue in practice.
💻 Affected Systems
- SciPy
📦 What is this software?
Scipy by Scipy
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Remote code execution leading to complete system compromise if an attacker can trigger the vulnerability.
Likely Case
Denial of service through application crashes; actual exploitation for code execution is unlikely given vendor assessment.
If Mitigated
Minimal impact if proper input validation and memory protections are in place.
🎯 Exploit Status
No known exploits; exploitation would require specific conditions to trigger the use-after-free.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 1.8.0 and later
Vendor Advisory: https://github.com/scipy/scipy/issues/14713
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Upgrade SciPy to version 1.8.0 or later using pip: pip install --upgrade scipy>=1.8.0
2. Verify the upgrade completed successfully.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Avoid using Py_FindObjects()
allModify code to avoid calling the vulnerable Py_FindObjects() function if possible.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict input validation for any code that might trigger Py_FindObjects()
- Use memory protection mechanisms like ASLR and DEP to reduce exploitability
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check SciPy version: python -c "import scipy; print(scipy.__version__)"Check Version:
python -c "import scipy; print(scipy.__version__)"Verify Fix Applied:
Verify version is 1.8.0 or higher: python -c "import scipy; print('Fixed' if scipy.__version__ >= '1.8.0' else 'Vulnerable')"📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Application crashes with memory access violations
- Python segmentation faults
SIEM Query:
Search for process termination events from Python/scipy with exit codes indicating memory corruption (e.g., SIGSEGV, SIGABRT).🔗 References
- http://www.square16.org/achievement/cve-2023-29824/
- https://github.com/scipy/scipy/issues/14713
- https://github.com/scipy/scipy/issues/14713#issuecomment-1629468565
- https://github.com/scipy/scipy/pull/15013
- http://www.square16.org/achievement/cve-2023-29824/
- https://github.com/scipy/scipy/issues/14713
- https://github.com/scipy/scipy/issues/14713#issuecomment-1629468565
- https://github.com/scipy/scipy/pull/15013
