Buffer Overflow Vulnerability in WebSocket Handling
High
C
curl
Submitted None
Actions:
Reported by
hackers_
Vulnerability Details
Technical details and impact analysis
## Summary:
Hello security team,
Hope you are doing well :)
I would like to report a potential security vulnerability in the WebSocket handling code of the curl library. The issue is related to the usage of the `strcpy` function, which can lead to a buffer overflow if the length of the input is not properly checked. The vulnerable code snippet is located at [this link](https://github.com/curl/curl/blob/e251e858b941e29bb95a6c0d26bb45981a872585/lib/ws.c#L581).
## Steps To Reproduce:
1. Trigger the WebSocket functionality with a crafted request.
2. Provide a base64-encoded nonce value that exceeds the buffer size.
3. Observe that the `strcpy` function is used without proper bounds checking.
## Fix:
To address this issue, it is recommended to replace the `strcpy` function with the safer alternative `strncpy` and explicitly specify the maximum length to copy. Here's an example fix:
```c
strncpy(keyval, randstr, sizeof(keyval) - 1);
keyval[sizeof(keyval) - 1] = '\0'; // Null-terminate the string
```
This modification ensures that only a specified number of characters (up to the buffer size minus 1) are copied, preventing buffer overflow.
## Reference:
https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/122.html
## Impact
This vulnerability may allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code, potentially leading to a compromise of the application or system. An attacker could exploit this weakness by providing a specially crafted WebSocket request, causing a buffer overflow and overwriting adjacent memory.
Report Details
Additional information and metadata
State
Closed
Substate
Not-Applicable
Submitted
Weakness
Heap Overflow