CVSS VectorNVD
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
Lifecycle Timeline
1DescriptionNVD
An issue was discovered in Cista v0.15 and below. Insecure deserialization of untrusted input under certain conditions may lead to leaking of stack/heap addresses which may be used to bypass ASLR. Classes with pointer-like mechanics under the cista::raw namespace are prone to reference tampering, where Cista does not perform sufficient checks to safeguard against self-referencing pointers and referencing other data within the payload. The leak occurs if the deserialized values are observable by the attacker.
AnalysisAI
Insecure deserialization in Cista v0.15 and below allows remote unauthenticated attackers to leak stack and heap addresses through reference tampering in the cista::raw namespace, potentially defeating ASLR protections. The vulnerability arises from insufficient validation of pointer-like objects during deserialization, enabling attackers to observe deserialized values and extract memory layout information for subsequent exploitation.
Technical ContextAI
Cista is a serialization/deserialization library that uses custom pointer-like classes within the cista::raw namespace. The vulnerability stems from insecure handling of untrusted serialized input, specifically in how the library deserializes objects with pointer mechanics. The library fails to implement sufficient validation checks to prevent self-referencing pointers and cross-references to other data within the payload. When deserializing untrusted input, these pointer objects can be manipulated to reference arbitrary memory locations. If the application observes or logs the deserialized values (common in debugging or logging contexts), attackers can extract memory addresses, compromising ASLR-a fundamental defense mechanism that randomizes memory layout to prevent exploitation of memory corruption vulnerabilities.
Affected ProductsAI
Cista versions 0.15 and earlier are affected. The library is available at http://cista.com. Exact CPE strings and version granularity are not provided in available references, but all releases up to and including v0.15 should be considered vulnerable. Later versions (v0.16 and above, if released) are presumed patched.
RemediationAI
Upgrade to Cista version 0.16 or later, as the vendor has addressed the deserialization validation issue. If immediate upgrade is not feasible, implement compensating controls: (1) Restrict deserialization to trusted sources only-validate the origin and integrity of serialized input before passing it to Cista, using cryptographic signatures or mutual TLS if operating over a network. (2) Disable or restrict visibility of deserialized values-avoid logging, returning, or displaying memory addresses or pointer values in API responses or logs where an attacker can observe them. (3) Ensure ASLR is enabled on the operating system level (Linux: check /proc/sys/kernel/randomize_va_space, Windows/macOS: enabled by default in modern versions) to mitigate the downstream impact of address leaks. (4) If the application must handle untrusted serialized data, consider using safer serialization formats (e.g., JSON with strict schema validation) instead of native binary deserialization. Trade-off: restricting deserialization visibility may complicate debugging; document this and use separate debug/logging configurations for development environments.
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External POC / Exploit Code
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