Privilege escalation in NREL EnergyPlus

1) Stack-based buffer overflow

EUVDB-ID: #VU19527

Risk: Low

CVSSv3.1: 7.7 [CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:U/RL:O/RC:C]

CVE-ID: CVE-2019-10974

CWE-ID: CWE-121 - Stack-based buffer overflow

Exploit availability: No

Description

The vulnerability allows a local attacker to escalate privileges on the system.

The vulnerability exists due to the application fails to prevent an exception handler from being overwritten with arbitrary code. A local authenticated attacker can trigger stack-based buffer overflow and execute arbitrary code on the target system or cause a denial-of-service condition.

Mitigation

Install updates from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

EnergyPlus: 8.1.1 - 8.6.0

External links

http://www.us-cert.gov/ics/advisories/icsa-19-204-02

Q & A

Can this vulnerability be exploited remotely?

No. This vulnerability can be exploited locally. The attacker should have authentication credentials and successfully authenticate on the system.

How the attacker can exploit this vulnerability?

The attacker would have to trick the victim to open a a specially crafted file.

The attacker would have to login to the system and perform certain actions in order to exploit this vulnerability.

Is there known malware, which exploits this vulnerability?

No. We are not aware of malware exploiting this vulnerability.