CVE-2023-34967 : Vulnerability Insights and Analysis

A Type Confusion vulnerability was found in Samba's mdssvc RPC service for Spotlight. Learn more about the impact, affected systems, and mitigation steps.

Understanding CVE-2023-34967

Samba: type confusion in mdssvc rpc service for spotlight

What is CVE-2023-34967?

A Type Confusion vulnerability in Samba's mdssvc RPC service for Spotlight allows a malicious client to trigger a process crash in a shared RPC mdssvc worker process, affecting all connected clients.

The Impact of CVE-2023-34967

The vulnerability can be exploited by an attacker to crash a shared RPC mdssvc worker process, impacting multiple client connections.

Technical Details of CVE-2023-34967

This section provides detailed technical information about the CVE.

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability arises due to a lack of type checking in callers of the dalloc_value_for_key() function, leading to a crash in talloc_get_size() when a non-valid talloc pointer is detected.

Affected Systems and Versions

Samba: Versions 4.16.11, 4.17.10, and 4.18.5 are unaffected.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8: Version 4.18.6-1.el8 is affected.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9: Version 4.18.6-100.el9 is unaffected.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 & 7: The status is unknown.
Red Hat Storage 3 is affected.
Fedora is affected.

Exploitation Mechanism

By sending specially crafted packets to the vulnerable service, an attacker can trigger the process crash.

Mitigation and Prevention

Discover the necessary steps to mitigate the CVE and enhance system security.

Immediate Steps to Take

Consider disabling Spotlight by removing all configuration stanzas enabling it as a temporary workaround.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update software, follow security advisories, and apply patches promptly to prevent exploitation.

Patching and Updates

Refer to vendor advisories for patches and updates to fix the vulnerability in affected systems.