Description

In qsort of libufdt_sysdeps_vendor.c, there is a possible out-of-bounds write due to resource exhaustion. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.

Executive Summary

Technical Details

Mitigations

References

Additional Metadata

{
  "score": "7.8",
  "pubDate": "2026-10-05T19:17:23.880Z",
  "pubdate": "2026-10-05T19:17:23.880Z",
  "executiveSummary": "A critical memory corruption vulnerability has been identified within the qsort implementation of libufdt_sysdeps_vendor.c.\nThe vulnerability manifests as an out-of-bounds (OOB) write triggered by resource exhaustion during the sorting process.\nThis flaw allows an attacker to achieve local escalation of privilege (LPE) without requiring user interaction or elevated execution privileges.\nSuccessful exploitation poses a severe risk to system integrity and security, as it allows arbitrary memory manipulation within the context of the affected process.\nGiven that no specialized execution environment is required, the attack surface is significantly exposed to local malicious actors.\nThe vulnerability highlights a critical failure in input validation and memory safety management during resource-constrained operations.",
  "technicalDetails": "The root cause of this vulnerability is an unsafe handling of memory operations within the qsort function located in libufdt_sysdeps_vendor.c. Specifically, the implementation fails to verify memory boundaries when resource exhaustion occurs during recursive sorting or pivot partitioning. When system resources, such as memory or stack space, reach exhaustion, the internal logic of the sorting algorithm fails to properly validate pointers or indices, leading to a write operation occurring outside the allocated buffer boundaries.\nExploitation is achieved by inducing a state where the qsort implementation encounters extreme resource pressure. Because this occurs within libufdt_sysdeps_vendor.c, an attacker can leverage this memory corruption to overwrite adjacent data structures, function pointers, or return addresses in memory. By carefully crafting the input data provided to the sorting function, an attacker can precisely control the offset and content of the out-of-bounds write.\nThe attack flow begins with the attacker triggering the vulnerable sorting routine through a system interface that utilizes libufdt. The attacker then exhausts the available resources to force the error condition. Once the out-of-bounds write is triggered, the process performs an illegal memory modification. If this modification targets critical control flow mechanisms, the execution path can be redirected to attacker-controlled code or payloads.\nThis vulnerability is particularly dangerous as it does not require authentication or user interaction, fulfilling the criteria for a local escalation of privilege. The affected component, libufdt, is frequently involved in device tree processing, making it a sensitive target for achieving higher privileges within the system architecture. The resulting impact is the ability to bypass security boundaries, potentially leading to full system compromise from a low-privilege local environment."
}