CVE-2022-38497: Lief LIEF Contains A Segmentation Violation Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-2p5h-hpj4-fxgg
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CVSS 5.5
CWE-476
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2022-38497 is a MODERATE (CVSS 5.5) lief contains a segmentation violation vulnerability (CWE-476: NULL Pointer Dereference) affecting Lief libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves lief contains a segmentation violation. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2022-38497 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2022-38497
GHSA Identifier GHSA-2p5h-hpj4-fxgg
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 5.5
CWE Classification CWE-476: NULL Pointer Dereference
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-2022-38497

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-2022-38497, 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-476: NULL Pointer Dereference, where the product dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid but is null. 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 365a16a was discovered to contain a segmentation violation via the component `CoreFile.tcc:69`. A patch is available at commit ca938740264f1fcb18f91cba8e4039c518ecb75b.

CVE-2022-38497 Affected Lief Versions

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

References

NVD — CVE-2022-38497 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-38497
Lief Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/lief-project/LIEF/issues/766
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/lief-project/LIEF/commit/ca938740264f1fcb18f91cba8e4039c518ecb75b
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-2022-277.yaml

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2022-38497?
CVE-2022-38497 is a security vulnerability in Lief involving LIEF contains a segmentation violation under CWE-476: NULL Pointer Dereference.
Which Lief versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches across affected packages: lief.
What version fixes CVE-2022-38497?
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-2022-38497?
CVE-2022-38497 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-2022-38497?
CVE-2022-38497 is classified under CWE-476: NULL Pointer Dereference (The product dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid but is NULL.).
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2022-38497?
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-2p5h-hpj4-fxgg",
  "modified" : "2022-09-20T22:06:57Z",
  "published" : "2022-09-14T00:00:42Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2022-38497" ],
  "summary" : "LIEF contains a segmentation violation",
  "details" : "LIEF commit 365a16a was discovered to contain a segmentation violation via the component `CoreFile.tcc:69`. A patch is available at commit ca938740264f1fcb18f91cba8e4039c518ecb75b.",
  "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-2022-38497"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/lief-project/LIEF/issues/766"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/lief-project/LIEF/commit/ca938740264f1fcb18f91cba8e4039c518ecb75b"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/lief-project/LIEF"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/lief/PYSEC-2022-277.yaml"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-476" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-09-20T22:05:34Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2022-09-13T21:15:00Z"
  }
}