The product obtains a value from an untrusted source, converts this value to a pointer, and dereferences the resulting pointer.
An attacker can supply a pointer for memory locations that the product is not expecting. If the pointer is dereferenced for a write operation, the attack might allow modification of critical state variables, cause a crash, or execute code. If the dereferencing operation is for a read, then the attack might allow reading of sensitive data, cause a crash, or set a variable to an unexpected value (since the value will be read from an unexpected memory location). There are several variants of this weakness, including but not necessarily limited to: The untrusted value is directly invoked as a function call. In OS kernels or drivers where there is a boundary between "userland" and privileged memory spaces, an untrusted pointer might enter through an API or system call (see CWE-781 for one such example). Inadvertently accepting the value from an untrusted control sphere when it did not have to be accepted as input at all. This might occur when the code was originally developed to be run by a single user in a non-networked environment, and the code is then ported to or otherwise exposed to a networked environment.
Threat Mapped score: 1.8
Industry: Finiancial
Threat priority: P4 - Informational (Low)
CVE: CVE-2007-5655
message-passing framework interprets values in packets as pointers, causing a crash.
CVE: CVE-2010-2299
labeled as a "type confusion" issue, also referred to as a "stale pointer." However, the bug ID says "contents are simply interpreted as a pointer... renderer ordinarily doesn't supply this pointer directly". The "handle" in the untrusted area is replaced in one function, but not another - thus also, effectively, exposure to wrong sphere (CWE-668).
CVE: CVE-2009-1719
Untrusted dereference using undocumented constructor.
CVE: CVE-2009-1250
An error code is incorrectly checked and interpreted as a pointer, leading to a crash.
CVE: CVE-2009-0311
An untrusted value is obtained from a packet and directly called as a function pointer, leading to code execution.
CVE: CVE-2010-1818
Undocumented attribute in multimedia software allows "unmarshaling" of an untrusted pointer.
CVE: CVE-2010-3189
ActiveX control for security software accepts a parameter that is assumed to be an initialized pointer.
CVE: CVE-2010-1253
Spreadsheet software treats certain record values that lead to "user-controlled pointer" (might be untrusted offset, not untrusted pointer).
N/A
| Phase | Note |
|---|---|
| None listed. | |
N/A