CVE-2023-52427
📋 TL;DR
OpenDDS versions through 3.27 contain a vulnerability where configuring a DataWriter with an excessively large resource_limits.max_samples value causes a segmentation fault. This affects systems using OpenDDS for data distribution where untrusted configuration inputs are possible. The vendor states this is expected behavior when memory limits are exceeded.
💻 Affected Systems
- OpenDDS
📦 What is this software?
Opendds by Objectcomputing
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Denial of service causing application crashes and service disruption in critical systems using OpenDDS for real-time data distribution.
Likely Case
Accidental or misconfigured max_samples values causing application instability and crashes in development or production environments.
If Mitigated
Minimal impact with proper input validation and memory monitoring preventing excessive max_samples values.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires ability to modify OpenDDS configuration parameters, typically requiring some level of access or configuration control.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: None
Vendor Advisory: https://github.com/OpenDDS/OpenDDS/issues/4388
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
No official patch. The vendor considers this expected behavior. Implement workarounds and proper configuration validation.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Validate max_samples Configuration
allImplement input validation to ensure resource_limits.max_samples values are reasonable for available system memory
# Implement in application code: validate max_samples < (available_memory / sample_size)
Memory Monitoring and Limits
linuxSet system memory limits and monitor OpenDDS processes for abnormal memory consumption
# Use ulimit on Linux: ulimit -v [memory_limit_in_kb]
# Use cgroups or container memory limits
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict configuration validation for all OpenDDS DataWriter configurations
- Monitor system logs for segmentation faults and implement automatic restart mechanisms
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check OpenDDS version and review configuration files for resource_limits.max_samples settings that exceed available memoryCheck Version:
opendds_info --version or check build configurationVerify Fix Applied:
Verify configuration validation is implemented and test with intentionally large max_samples values to ensure graceful handling📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Segmentation fault errors in application logs
- Core dumps from OpenDDS processes
- Memory allocation failure messages
Network Indicators:
- Sudden termination of DDS communications
- Missing heartbeat or discovery messages
SIEM Query:
process.name:"opendds" AND (event.type:"segmentation_fault" OR event.type:"core_dump")