CVE-2025-30216

Remediation / Mitigation Strategy for CVE-2025-30216 - CryptoLib Heap Overflow

Vulnerability Description:

  • Vulnerability: Heap Overflow
  • Component: CryptoLib (CCSDS SDLS-EP implementation for cFS)
  • Affected Versions: Versions 1.3.3 and prior
  • Location: Crypto_TM_ProcessSecurity function in crypto_tm.c:1735:8
  • Description: The vulnerability occurs due to insufficient validation of the Secondary Header Length in a TM protocol packet. If the Secondary Header Length is larger than the total packet length, a memcpy operation attempts to copy data beyond the bounds of the allocated buffer p_new_dec_frame, resulting in a heap overflow. This allows an attacker to overwrite adjacent heap memory.

Severity:

  • CVSS Score: 9.4 (Critical)
  • Vector: AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
  • Impact: This is a critical vulnerability that could lead to arbitrary code execution, denial of service (system instability), or information disclosure by exploiting the overflow. In the context of spacecraft communications, this could lead to unauthorized control of the spacecraft or interruption of its operations.

Known Exploit:

While this advisory doesn’t explicitly state a public exploit is available, the nature of the vulnerability (Heap Overflow in a security protocol implementation) makes it highly likely that a skilled attacker could develop an exploit. The fact that the code is related to spacecraft communications significantly raises the stakes. Heap overflows are well-understood and exploitable vulnerability types.

Remediation Strategy:

The primary remediation is to apply the provided patch:

  • Apply the Patch:
    • Patch Commit: 810fd66d592c883125272fef123c3240db2f170f
    • This commit likely contains the fix for the improper validation of the Secondary Header Length. Apply this patch to your CryptoLib installation immediately.

Mitigation Strategy (in addition to patching, or if patching is immediately impossible):

Even after applying the patch, implement defense-in-depth measures:

  1. Input Validation and Sanitization:

    • Severity: High
    • Details: Implement strict input validation for the Secondary Header Length before calling Crypto_TM_ProcessSecurity. Ensure the Secondary Header Length is always less than or equal to the total packet length. If the length is invalid, reject the packet outright. This acts as a first line of defense even if the patch contains subtle errors.
    • Implementation: Add checks before the vulnerable memcpy in the Crypto_TM_ProcessSecurity function to validate the header length. Log any invalid packets for further analysis.

  2. Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR):

    • Severity: Medium
    • Details: Ensure ASLR is enabled on the system running CryptoLib. ASLR makes it more difficult for attackers to reliably predict the location of memory regions, complicating exploit development.
    • Implementation: This is an operating system-level configuration. Verify that ASLR is enabled on the target platform. For embedded systems or custom operating systems, ensure that memory is randomized to the greatest extent possible.

  3. Data Execution Prevention (DEP) / No-Execute (NX) bit:

    • Severity: Medium
    • Details: Ensure DEP/NX is enabled. This prevents code from being executed from memory regions marked as data, making it harder for attackers to inject and execute malicious code.
    • Implementation: This is also an operating system-level configuration. Verify that DEP/NX is enabled. This often requires specific compiler flags and linker options when building CryptoLib.

  4. Memory Allocation Monitoring:

    • Severity: Low
    • Details: Implement monitoring of heap allocations within CryptoLib. Detecting unusual or excessive allocations could indicate an attempted exploit.
    • Implementation: Use memory debugging tools (e.g., Valgrind, AddressSanitizer) during testing to identify memory leaks and other memory-related issues. Consider incorporating these tools into your continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipeline. For deployed systems, implement logging of memory allocation patterns.

  5. Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) / Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS):

    • Severity: Low
    • Details: Deploy an IDS/IPS capable of detecting anomalous network traffic patterns that might indicate an exploit attempt.
    • Implementation: Configure your IDS/IPS to monitor for suspicious packet sizes, header lengths, and other characteristics of TM protocol packets.

  6. Network Segmentation:

    • Severity: Medium
    • Details: Limit network access to the system running CryptoLib. Place it behind a firewall and restrict access to only authorized systems.
    • Implementation: Create firewall rules that only allow necessary communication with the CryptoLib system.

  7. Regular Security Audits and Penetration Testing:

    • Severity: High
    • Details: Conduct regular security audits and penetration testing of CryptoLib and related systems. This can help identify and address vulnerabilities before they are exploited.
    • Implementation: Engage security professionals to perform thorough assessments of your security posture.

Timeline:

  • Immediate (within 24 hours): Apply the patch. Implement input validation and sanitization as described above.
  • Short-term (within 1 week): Verify ASLR and DEP/NX are enabled. Implement network segmentation.
  • Medium-term (within 1 month): Implement memory allocation monitoring. Deploy/configure IDS/IPS.
  • Long-term (ongoing): Conduct regular security audits and penetration testing.

Communication:

  • Communicate the vulnerability and remediation steps to all stakeholders, including developers, operators, and users of CryptoLib.
  • Maintain a clear communication channel for reporting security vulnerabilities and incidents.

Important Considerations for Space Systems:

  • Deployment Challenges: Patching spacecraft systems can be extremely challenging due to limited access, long update cycles, and the criticality of the system. Thoroughly test any patches or configuration changes in a representative environment before deploying them to operational systems.
  • Radiation Hardening: Consider the impact of radiation on the security of the system. Radiation can cause bit flips and other errors that could compromise security.
  • Legacy Systems: Many spacecraft systems are based on legacy hardware and software that may not be easily updated. Mitigation strategies that do not require software changes may be more practical in these cases.

This remediation/mitigation strategy provides a comprehensive approach to addressing CVE-2025-30216 and improving the overall security of CryptoLib and related systems. The specific steps and timeline should be tailored to your individual circumstances and risk tolerance. Remember that defense-in-depth is crucial, especially in high-stakes environments like space systems.

Assigner

Date

  • Published Date: 2025-03-25 19:22:23
  • Updated Date: 2025-03-25 20:15:23

More Details

CVE-2025-30216