CWE WEAKNESSES  /  CWE-781

CWE-781

Improper Address Validation in IOCTL with METHOD_NEITHER I/O Control Code

What it is

The product defines an IOCTL that uses METHOD_NEITHER for I/O, but it does not validate or incorrectly validates the addresses that are provided.

When an IOCTL uses the METHOD_NEITHER option for I/O control, it is the responsibility of the IOCTL to validate the addresses that have been supplied to it. If validation is missing or incorrect, attackers can supply arbitrary memory addresses, leading to code execution or a denial of service.

Impact

Mitigations

• [Implementation] If METHOD_NEITHER is required for the IOCTL, then ensure that all user-space addresses are properly validated before they are first accessed. The ProbeForRead and ProbeForWrite routines are available for this task. Also properly protect and manage the user-supplied buffers, since the I/O Manager does not do this when METHOD_NEITHER is being used. See References.
• [Architecture and Design] If possible, avoid using METHOD_NEITHER in the IOCTL and select methods that effectively control the buffer size, such as METHOD_BUFFERED, METHOD_IN_DIRECT, or METHOD_OUT_DIRECT.
• [Architecture and Design, Implementation] If the IOCTL is part of a driver that is only intended to be accessed by trusted users, then use proper access control for the associated device or device namespace. See References.

Real-world CVE examples

• CVE-2006-2373 — Driver for file-sharing and messaging protocol allows attackers to execute arbitrary code.
• CVE-2009-0686 — Anti-virus product does not validate addresses, allowing attackers to gain SYSTEM privileges.
• CVE-2009-0824 — DVD software allows attackers to cause a crash.
• CVE-2008-5724 — Personal firewall allows attackers to gain SYSTEM privileges.
• CVE-2007-5756 — chain: device driver for packet-capturing software allows access to an unintended IOCTL with resultant array index error.

Related weaknesses

Source: MITRE CWE. View on cwe.mitre.org →