CVE-2021-45918 : Security Advisory and Response

NHI's health insurance web service component has a vulnerability that allows heap-based buffer overflow attacks.

Understanding CVE-2021-45918

This CVE involves a critical vulnerability in NHI's health insurance web service component.

What is CVE-2021-45918?

The vulnerability in NHI's health insurance web service component stems from insufficient validation for input string length, leading to a heap-based buffer overflow. Attackers can exploit this to flood the program's memory space, causing service termination without authentication.

The Impact of CVE-2021-45918

The vulnerability poses a high availability impact, with a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5, making it a high severity issue.

Technical Details of CVE-2021-45918

This section delves into the technical aspects of the vulnerability.

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability allows a remote attacker to flood the memory space of the affected program, requiring a system restart to restore service.

Affected Systems and Versions

Windows: version 515BE7DE5BCE446177FEE8A6E0665093
Mac: version 42fcc36541e716e23de77d5f325b186a
Linux (Ubuntu): version 52EACB7CA2B4D0A5A869DF01079BF4D6
Linux (Fedora): version 52EACB7CA2B4D0A5A869DF01079BF4D6

Exploitation Mechanism

The attacker can exploit the insufficient input string length validation to flood the memory space, leading to service termination.

Mitigation and Prevention

It's crucial to take immediate steps and adopt long-term security practices to mitigate the risks posed by CVE-2021-45918.

Immediate Steps to Take

Apply the latest version update provided by the vendor.

Long-Term Security Practices

Implement proper input validation mechanisms.
Conduct regular security assessments.
Monitor system logs for unusual activities.
Train staff on identifying and responding to security threats.

Patching and Updates

Ensure to download and apply the latest version released by NHI to address the vulnerability.