CVE-2024-32611

What it actually does

Use of an uninitialized value in H5A__attr_release_table within H5Aint.c can result in memory corruption or undefined behavior when processing HDF5 file attributes.

Why it matters to the business

Applications using HDF5 for scientific data handling may encounter crashes, data corruption, or workflow interruptions, affecting research, analytics, and data-intensive operations with moderate prevalence in affected ecosystems.

How an attack unfolds

An attacker crafts a malicious HDF5 file with malformed attribute structures that trigger the uninitialized value access during attribute table release, leading to memory corruption when the file is parsed by vulnerable library versions.

How to fix it

Update the HDF5 library to the fixed commit 88429b015e29c59de604b0f552001fb7cb7ed5d0 or later versions beyond 1.14.3.

How to confirm the fix worked

Confirm the installed HDF5 version incorporates the fix commit and validate attribute handling behavior with test files containing varied attribute structures.

Typical attack path

1. Identify or create an HDF5 file with crafted attributes
2. Deliver the file to a target application using the vulnerable HDF5 library
3. Trigger attribute processing and release during file parsing
4. Leverage the resulting uninitialized value for memory corruption or denial of service

How to detect it

Review application logs and crash reports for errors during HDF5 attribute processing; correlate with file access events involving potentially untrusted HDF5 inputs.

What your security team should do

• Apply the library update to all instances using versions through 1.14.3
• Inventory and prioritize patching of HDF5-dependent applications based on usage volume
• Test updated builds in representative data processing environments before deployment