CVE-2024-46264
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2024-46264 is a heap buffer overflow vulnerability in cute_png v1.05's cp_find() function that allows attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service by processing malicious PNG files. This affects any application or system using the vulnerable cute_png library for PNG image processing. Attackers can exploit this by tricking users or systems into opening specially crafted PNG files.
💻 Affected Systems
- cute_png library
- Applications embedding cute_png v1.05
📦 What is this software?
Cute Png by Randygaul
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Remote code execution leading to complete system compromise, data theft, or ransomware deployment.
Likely Case
Application crash causing denial of service, potentially leading to system instability.
If Mitigated
Contained application crash with minimal system impact if proper sandboxing and privilege separation are implemented.
🎯 Exploit Status
Proof-of-concept exploit files are publicly available in the GitHub repository. Exploitation requires the target to process a malicious PNG file.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Not available
Vendor Advisory: No official vendor advisory found
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Check if your application uses cute_png v1.05. 2. Monitor the cute_png GitHub repository for updates. 3. Consider replacing cute_png with alternative PNG libraries if no patch becomes available.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Input Validation and Sanitization
allImplement strict validation of PNG files before processing with cute_png library
Sandbox PNG Processing
linuxRun cute_png processing in isolated containers or sandboxed environments
docker run --read-only --cap-drop=ALL -v /tmp:/tmp:ro your_app
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement network segmentation to isolate systems using cute_png from critical infrastructure
- Deploy application allowlisting to prevent execution of unauthorized binaries that might exploit this vulnerability
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check your source code or dependencies for inclusion of cute_png.h version 1.05. Review build configurations and package managers for cute_png v1.05.Check Version:
grep -r "cute_png" . --include="*.h" --include="*.c" --include="*.cpp" | grep -i versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify cute_png is no longer version 1.05 in your dependencies. Test with the provided PoC PNG files to ensure they no longer cause crashes.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Application crashes with segmentation faults
- Memory access violation errors
- Unexpected process termination when processing PNG files
Network Indicators:
- Unusual PNG file downloads or uploads to systems using cute_png
- Network traffic patterns suggesting file transfer followed by application crashes
SIEM Query:
source="application_logs" AND ("segmentation fault" OR "access violation" OR "heap corruption") AND process="*cute_png*"🔗 References
- https://github.com/Helson-S/FuzzyTesting/blob/master/cute_headers/cute_png/heapof-r4-cp_find-cute_png-979c8
- https://github.com/Helson-S/FuzzyTesting/blob/master/cute_headers/cute_png/heapof-r4-cp_find-cute_png-979c8/poc
- https://github.com/Helson-S/FuzzyTesting/blob/master/cute_headers/cute_png/heapof-r4-cp_find-cute_png-979c8/poc/sample8.png
- https://github.com/Helson-S/FuzzyTesting/blob/master/cute_headers/cute_png/heapof-r4-cp_find-cute_png-979c8/vulDescription.assets/image-20240527233234147.png
- https://github.com/Helson-S/FuzzyTesting/blob/master/cute_headers/cute_png/heapof-r4-cp_find-cute_png-979c8/vulDescription.md
