CVE-2023-34454: snappy-java's Integer Overflow vulnerability in compress leads to DoS
Summary Due to unchecked multiplications, an integer overflow may occur, causing an unrecoverable fatal error. Impact Denial of Service Description The function [compress(char[] input)](https://github.com/xerial/snappy-java/blob/05c39b2ca9b5b7b39611529cc302d3d796329611/src/main/java/org/xerial/snappy/Snappy.java#L169) in the file Snappy.java receives an array of characters and compresses it. It does so by multiplying the length by 2 and passing it to the rawCompress function.
java public static byte[] compress(char[] input) throws IOException { return rawCompress(input, input.length 2); // char uses 2 bytes }
Since the length is not tested, the multiplication by two can cause an integer overflow and become negative. The rawCompress function then uses the received length and passes it to the natively compiled maxCompressedLength function, using the returned value to allocate a byte array.
java public static byte[] rawCompress(Object data, int byteSize) throws IOException { byte[] buf = new byte[Snappy.maxCompressedLength(byteSize)]; int compressedByteSize = impl.rawCompress(data, 0, byteSize, buf, 0); byte[] result = new byte[compressedByteSize]; System.arraycopy(buf, 0, result, 0, compressedByteSize); return result; }
Since the maxCompressedLength function treats the length as an unsigned integer, it doesn’t care that it is negative, and it returns a valid value, which is casted to a signed integer by the Java engine. If the result is negative, a “java.lang.NegativeArraySizeException” exception will be raised while trying to allocate the array “buf”. On the other side, if the result is positive, the “buf” array will successfully be allocated, but its size might be too small to use for the compression, causing a fatal Access Violation error. The same issue exists also when using the “compress” functions that receive double, float, int, long and short, each using a different multiplier that may cause the same issue. The issue most likely won’t occur when using a byte array, since creating a byte array of size 0x80000000 (or any other negative value) is impossible in the first place.
Steps To Reproduce Compile and run the following code:
java package org.example; import org.xerial.snappy.Snappy;
import java.io.;
public class Main {
public static void main(String[] args) throws IOException { char[] uncompressed = new char[0x40000000]; byte[] compressed = Snappy.compress(uncompressed); } }
The program will crash, creating crashdumps and showing the following error (or similar):
A fatal error has been detected by the Java Runtime Environment: EXCEPTIONACCESSVIOLATION (0xc0000005) at pc=0x0000000063a01c20, pid=21164, tid=508 .......
Alternatively - compile and run the following code:
java package org.example; import org.xerial.snappy.Snappy;
import java.io.;
public class Main {
public static void main(String[] args) throws IOException { char[] uncompressed = new char[0x3fffffff]; byte[] compressed = Snappy.compress(uncompressed); } }
The program will crash with the following error (or similar), since the maxCompressedLength returns a value that is interpreted as negative by java:
Exception in thread "main" java.lang.NegativeArraySizeException: -1789569677 at org.xerial.snappy.Snappy.rawCompress(Snappy.java:425) at org.xerial.snappy.Snappy.compress(Snappy.java:172) at org.example.Main.main(Main.java:10)
Other sources
snappy-java is a fast compressor/decompressor for Java. Due to unchecked multiplications, an integer overflow may occur in versions prior to 1.1.10.1, causing an unrecoverable fatal error.
The function compress(char[] input) in the file Snappy.java receives an array of characters and compresses it. It does so by multiplying the length by 2 and passing it to the rawCompress function.
Since the length is not tested, the multiplication by two can cause an integer overflow and become negative. The rawCompress function then uses the received length and passes it to the natively compiled maxCompressedLength function, using the returned value to allocate a byte array.
Since the maxCompressedLength function treats the length as an unsigned integer, it doesn’t care that it is negative, and it returns a valid value, which is casted to a signed integer by the Java engine. If the result is negative, a java.lang.NegativeArraySizeException exception will be raised while trying to allocate the array buf. On the other side, if the result is positive, the buf array will successfully be allocated, but its size might be too small to use for the compression, causing a fatal Access Violation error.
The same issue exists also when using the compress functions that receive double, float, int, long and short, each using a different multiplier that may cause the same issue. The issue most likely won’t occur when using a byte array, since creating a byte array of size 0x80000000 (or any other negative value) is impossible in the first place.
Version 1.1.10.1 contains a patch for this issue.
— MITRE
snappy-java is vulnerable to a denial of service, caused by an integer overflow in the compress function. By sending a specially crafted request, a remote attacker could exploit this vulnerability to cause a denial of service condition.
— IBM
Affected Software
Remediation
Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.
- Upgrade
Upgrade
maven/org.xerial.snappy:snappy-javato a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 1.1.10.1 - Upgrade
Upgrade
redhat/snappy-javato a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 1.1.10.1 - Upgrade
Upgrade
xerial/snappy-javato a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 1.1.10.1
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2023-34454?
CVE-2023-34454 is a vulnerability in snappy-java that allows for a denial of service attack.
How does CVE-2023-34454 work?
CVE-2023-34454 is caused by an integer overflow in the compress function of snappy-java, which can be exploited by sending a specially crafted request.
What is the severity of CVE-2023-34454?
CVE-2023-34454 has a severity rating of 7.5, which is considered high.
Which software versions are affected by CVE-2023-34454?
snappy-java version 1.1.10.1 is affected by CVE-2023-34454. Additionally, IBM QRadar SIEM versions 7.5.0 to 7.5.0 UP6 are also affected.
How can CVE-2023-34454 be fixed?
To fix CVE-2023-34454, it is recommended to upgrade to snappy-java version 1.1.10.1 or apply the necessary security patches provided by the vendor for IBM QRadar SIEM.