CVE-2022-38306: Lief LIEF Vulnerable To Heap Based Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-52xx-r3g2-p8jm
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CVSS 5.5
CWE-787
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2022-38306 is a MODERATE (CVSS 5.5) lief vulnerable to heap based vulnerability (CWE-787: Out-of-bounds Write) affecting Lief libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves lief vulnerable to heap based buffer overflow. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2022-38306 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2022-38306
GHSA Identifier GHSA-52xx-r3g2-p8jm
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 5.5
CWE Classification CWE-787: Out-of-bounds Write
Affected Product Lief
Package Ecosystem PyPI
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 5.5

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H).

Attack Vector Local (AV:L)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction Required (UI:R)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality None (C:N)
Integrity None (I:N)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2022-38306

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Lief dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

lief fixed: Latest secure release 
pip install lief>=Latest secure release
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

pip show lief

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Python environment is affected by CVE-2022-38306, inspect your installed packages using pip:

pip show lief

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Lief in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than the patched release), your application is affected.

Note: The pip show lief command checks currently installed packages in your active Python environment.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-787: Out-of-bounds Write, where the product writes data past the end, or before the beginning, of the intended buffer. In Lief, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

LIEF commit 5d1d643 was discovered to contain a heap-buffer overflow in the component `/core/CorePrPsInfo.tcc`. Commit 53bf680ef494a835e2c4a5de328ca85416a03a5a contains a patch.

CVE-2022-38306 Affected Lief Versions

1 component(s)
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
lief
pypi/lief
PyPI
≤ 0.12.1

References

NVD — CVE-2022-38306 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-38306
Lief Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/lief-project/LIEF/issues/763
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/lief-project/LIEF/commit/53bf680ef494a835e2c4a5de328ca85416a03a5a
Lief Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/lief-project/LIEF
Lief Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/lief/PYSEC-2022-274.yaml

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2022-38306?
CVE-2022-38306 is a security vulnerability in Lief involving LIEF vulnerable to heap based buffer overflow under CWE-787: Out-of-bounds Write.
Which Lief versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches across affected packages: lief.
What version fixes CVE-2022-38306?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is lief affected?
Yes, lief is affected in releases prior to Latest secure release. Upgrade your dependency to Latest secure release or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2022-38306?
CVE-2022-38306 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.5 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2022-38306?
CVE-2022-38306 is classified under CWE-787: Out-of-bounds Write (The product writes data past the end, or before the beginning, of the intended buffer.).
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2022-38306?
Run the dependency tree command: 'pip show lief'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-52xx-r3g2-p8jm",
  "modified" : "2022-09-20T22:07:20Z",
  "published" : "2022-09-14T00:00:42Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2022-38306" ],
  "summary" : "LIEF vulnerable to heap based buffer overflow",
  "details" : "LIEF commit 5d1d643 was discovered to contain a heap-buffer overflow in the component `/core/CorePrPsInfo.tcc`. Commit 53bf680ef494a835e2c4a5de328ca85416a03a5a contains a patch.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "lief"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "last_affected" : "0.12.1"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-38306"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/lief-project/LIEF/issues/763"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/lief-project/LIEF/commit/53bf680ef494a835e2c4a5de328ca85416a03a5a"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/lief-project/LIEF"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/lief/PYSEC-2022-274.yaml"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-787" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-09-20T22:05:46Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2022-09-13T21:15:00Z"
  }
}