CVE-2023-42465: High severity redhat/sudo vulnerability

Published Dec 21, 2023
·
Updated

From https://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/12/21/9 a new CVE has been reserved against the sudo package.

''' Our recent paper<https://arxiv.org/pdf/2309.02545.pdf> [AsiaCCS'24] describes a potential vulnerability where stack/register variables can be flipped via fault injection, affecting execution flow in security-sensitive code. There are mitigation strategies you may be interested in incorporating into your code:

Take this vulnerable code, for example:

int auth = 0;

//password check code that sets auth variable

if(auth != 0)

return AUTHSUCCESS;

else

return AUTHFAILURE;

The idea is that any bit can be flipped in auth, and it will result in a mis-authentication. We prove this is a potential vulnerability in OpenSSH, OpenSSL, MySQL, and SUDO. To mitigate this, it is important to have tight logic such that a single-bit flip will not result in unintended execution. For example:

int auth = 0xbe405d1a;

// password check code that sets auth variable to 0x23ab9701 is successful

If(auth == 0x23ab9701)

return AUTHSUCCESS;

else

return AUTHFAILURE;

In this case, the auth variable must be corrupted into the exact authentication pattern, which is fairly improbable.

We issued CVE-2023-42465 for SUDO for this vulnerability.

Here is the patch implemented in v1.9.15.

https://github.com/sudo-project/sudo/commit/7873f8334c8d31031f8cfa83bd97ac6029309e4f

Paper link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2309.02545

Caner Tol Worcester Polytechnic Institute https://vernamlab.org<https://vernamlab.org/> '''

Other sources

Sudo before 1.9.15 might allow row hammer attacks (for authentication bypass or privilege escalation) because application logic sometimes is based on not equaling an error value (instead of equaling a success value), and because the values do not resist flips of a single bit.

MITRE

Sudo Project Sudo could allow a remote attacker to bypass security restrictions, caused by a fault injection flaw in the stack/register variables. By sending a specially crafted request, an attacker could exploit this vulnerability to bypass access restrictions.

IBM

Affected Software

2 affected componentsFixes available
redhat/sudo<1.9.15
1.9.15
Sudo Project sudo<1.9.15

Event History

Dec 22, 2023
CVE Published
via MITRE·12:00 AM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·12:00 AM
Description
Data Sourced
via NVD·04:15 PM
RemedyDescriptionSeverityAffected Software
Mar 20, 2024
Data Sourced
via IBM·12:00 AM
DescriptionSeverityAffected Software

Parent advisories

This vulnerability appears in the following advisories.

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Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the severity of CVE-2023-42465?

CVE-2023-42465 has been classified as a critical vulnerability affecting the sudo package.

2

How do I fix CVE-2023-42465?

To fix CVE-2023-42465, upgrade the sudo package to version 1.9.15 or later.

3

Which versions of sudo are affected by CVE-2023-42465?

CVE-2023-42465 affects all sudo versions prior to 1.9.15.

4

What types of systems are impacted by CVE-2023-42465?

CVE-2023-42465 impacts systems using the sudo package below version 1.9.15.

5

Is there a workaround for CVE-2023-42465?

No official workaround for CVE-2023-42465 is provided; the recommended action is to update to the fixed version.

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