CVE-2024-46478
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2024-46478 is a critical buffer overflow vulnerability in HTMLDOC v1.9.18 that allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service. The vulnerability affects systems running HTMLDOC to process untrusted HTML input, particularly web applications or document conversion services using this library.
💻 Affected Systems
- HTMLDOC
📦 What is this software?
Htmldoc by Htmldoc Project
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Remote code execution with full system compromise, allowing attackers to install malware, exfiltrate data, or pivot to other systems.
Likely Case
Denial of service through application crashes, with potential for limited code execution depending on memory layout and exploit sophistication.
If Mitigated
Application crashes without code execution if exploit attempts fail or memory protections are effective.
🎯 Exploit Status
Buffer overflow vulnerabilities in parsing functions are often easily exploitable. The CWE-120 classification indicates classic buffer copy without checking size.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Fixed in commit 683bec548e642cf4a17e003fb34f6bbaf2d27b98
Vendor Advisory: https://github.com/michaelrsweet/htmldoc/issues/529
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Update HTMLDOC to the latest version from GitHub. 2. Recompile if using source. 3. Restart any services using HTMLDOC.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Input Validation
allImplement strict input validation for HTML content before passing to HTMLDOC
Process Isolation
linuxRun HTMLDOC in a sandboxed or containerized environment with limited privileges
docker run --read-only --cap-drop=ALL -v /tmp:/tmp:ro htmldoc
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Disable HTMLDOC processing of untrusted content entirely
- Implement network segmentation to isolate systems running vulnerable HTMLDOC versions
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check HTMLDOC version: htmldoc --version. If version is 1.9.18 or earlier, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
htmldoc --versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify version is newer than 1.9.18 and check that commit 683bec548e642cf4a17e003fb34f6bbaf2d27b98 is included.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Segmentation fault or crash logs from HTMLDOC process
- Unusual memory access patterns in system logs
Network Indicators:
- Unexpected network connections from HTMLDOC process
- Large or malformed HTML/PDF uploads to conversion services
SIEM Query:
process_name:"htmldoc" AND (event_type:"crash" OR memory_violation:"true")