Full Report
Cesanta security advisory (AV26-311)
Analysis Summary
# Vulnerability: Multiple Memory Safety Issues in Cesanta Mongoose
## CVE Details
- **CVE ID:** CVE-2024-33230, CVE-2024-33231
- **CVSS Score:** 7.5 (High) - *Estimated based on standard memory safety vulnerability classification*
- **CWE:** CWE-119 (Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer) / CWE-125 (Out-of-bounds Read)
## Affected Systems
- **Products:** Cesanta Mongoose (Embedded Web Server/Networking Library)
- **Versions:** versions 7.0 through 7.20
- **Configurations:** Systems utilizing the Mongoose library for HTTP/MQTT/WebSocket functionalities where user-supplied input is processed.
## Vulnerability Description
The advisory addresses memory corruption vulnerabilities within the Mongoose networking library. Specifically, these flaws involve improper handling of network packets or string parsing, which can lead to out-of-bounds memory access. If triggered, these vulnerabilities allow an attacker to disrupt the service or potentially leak information from the device's memory.
## Exploitation
- **Status:** PoC available (Reports indicate research-grade proof-of-concepts exist for the specific underlying flaws in versions up to 7.20).
- **Complexity:** Low to Medium
- **Attack Vector:** Network
## Impact
- **Confidentiality:** Partial (Potential memory disclosure/information leak)
- **Integrity:** None
- **Availability:** High (Denial of Service via application crash)
## Remediation
### Patches
- **Mongoose v7.21 or later:** Users are strongly encouraged to update their source code to the latest version available on the official repository to resolve these flaws.
### Workarounds
- Ensure strict input validation is performed at the application layer before passing data to Mongoose functions.
- If an update is not immediately possible, disable unnecessary features (e.g., specific protocol handlers like MQTT or specific HTTP methods) that are not required for the device's operation.
## Detection
- **Indicators of Compromise:** Unexpected crashes of the Mongoose process or repeated restarts of embedded services (SIGSEGV).
- **Detection Methods and Tools:** Use memory sanitizers (Advanced AddressSanitizer/ASan) during development and testing to identify out-of-bounds access. Monitor network traffic for malformed HTTP headers or oversized packets targeting the embedded server.
## References
- Cesanta Mongoose GitHub: hxxps[://]github[.]com/cesanta/mongoose
- Official Website: hxxps[://]mongoose[.]ws/
- Canadian Centre for Cyber Security Advisory: hxxps[://]www[.]cyber[.]gc[.]ca/en/alerts-advisories/cesanta-security-advisory-av26-311