CVE-2019-3823 : Security Advisory and Response

CVE-2019-3823 was published on February 6, 2019, and affects the curl project. The vulnerability lies in versions of libcurl from 7.34.0 to 7.64.0, potentially leading to a heap out-of-bounds read during SMTP response processing.

Understanding CVE-2019-3823

This CVE involves a security flaw in libcurl that could allow a heap out-of-bounds read when handling the end-of-response for SMTP.

What is CVE-2019-3823?

Versions of libcurl between 7.34.0 and 7.64.0 may experience a heap out-of-bounds read issue during SMTP response processing. This occurs when the buffer passed to

smtp_endofresp()

lacks proper termination, potentially leading to reading beyond the allocated buffer.

The Impact of CVE-2019-3823

The CVSS v3.0 base score for this vulnerability is 4.3, indicating a medium severity issue. The attack complexity is low, requiring user interaction, with low confidentiality impact and no integrity impact.

Technical Details of CVE-2019-3823

This section provides more in-depth technical insights into the vulnerability.

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability arises due to improper handling of the end-of-response for SMTP, potentially causing a heap out-of-bounds read in libcurl versions 7.34.0 to 7.64.0.

Affected Systems and Versions

Product: curl
Vendor: The curl Project
Vulnerable Versions: 7.34.0 to 7.64.0

Exploitation Mechanism

The issue occurs when the buffer passed to

smtp_endofresp()

lacks proper termination and contains no character ending the parsed number, potentially leading to a heap out-of-bounds read.

Mitigation and Prevention

It is crucial to take immediate steps to address and prevent the exploitation of this vulnerability.

Immediate Steps to Take

Update libcurl to a non-vulnerable version (post 7.64.0).
Monitor vendor advisories for patches and updates.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update software and libraries to the latest versions.
Implement network security measures to detect and prevent potential attacks.

Patching and Updates

Apply patches provided by the vendor promptly to mitigate the vulnerability and enhance system security.