Code execution via unchecked bit-vector bounds
Published May 9, 2024 · Updated Feb 13, 2025
Heap buffer overflow in The HDF Group HDF5 1.14.3 and earlier allows local users to execute code via a malformed HDF5 file. An unusual numeric datatype can supply bit offsets and lengths beyond its allocated value buffer, causing H5T__bit_find to scan past the heap allocation. The file must be parsed locally; triggering the flaw can crash the process, while control-flow corruption enables code execution in that process.
Summary
What happened
Heap buffer overflow in The HDF Group HDF5 1.14.3 and earlier allows local users to execute code via a malformed HDF5 file. An unusual numeric datatype can supply bit offsets and lengths beyond its allocated value buffer, causing H5T__bit_find to scan past the heap allocation. The file must be parsed locally; triggering the flaw can crash the process, while control-flow corruption enables code execution in that process.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2024-29163
- Published
- May 9, 2024
- Updated
- Feb 13, 2025
- Vendor
- The HDF Group
- Product
- HDF5
- Classifications
- CWE-122, T1203
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- May 9, 2024CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Feb 13, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=0 <=1.14.3
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Public exploit references
- HDF5 CVE regression test for CVE-2024-29163proof of concept · validated
Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.
Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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