CVE-2016-2545.yml

CVE: CVE-2016-2545
yaml_instructions: |
  =================
  ===YAML Primer===
  =================
  This is a dictionary data structure, akin to JSON.
  Everything before a colon is a key, and the values here are usually strings
  For one-line strings, you can just use quotes after the colon
  For multi-line strings, as we do for our instructions, you put a | and then
  indent by two spaces

  For readability, we hard-wrap multi-line strings at 80 characters. This is
  not required, but appreciated.
curated_instructions: |
  If you are manually editing this file, then you are "curating" it.

  Set the version number that you were given in your instructions.

  This will enable additional editorial checks on this file to make sure you
  fill everything out properly. If you are a student, we cannot accept your work
  as finished unless curated is properly updated.
curation_level: 2
reported_instructions: |
  What date was the vulnerability reported to the security team? Look at the
  security bulletins and bug reports. It is not necessarily the same day that
  the CVE was created.  Leave blank if no date is given.

  Please enter your date in YYYY-MM-DD format.
reported_date: '2016-01-12'
# I believe this is the report
# https://www.spinics.net/lists/alsa-devel/msg45082.html
announced_instructions: |
  Was there a date that this vulnerability was announced to the world? You can
  find this in changelogs, blogs, bug reports, or perhaps the CVE date.

  This is not the same as published date in the NVD - that is below.

  Please enter your date in YYYY-MM-DD format.
announced_date: '2016-04-27'
published_instructions: |
  Is there a published fix or patch date for this vulnerability?
  Please enter your date in YYYY-MM-DD format.
published_date: '2016-01-13'
# Based on git commit.
description_instructions: |
  You can get an initial description from the CVE entry on cve.mitre.org. These
  descriptions are a fine start, but they can be kind of jargony.

  Rewrite this description IN YOUR OWN WORDS. Make it interesting and easy to
  read to anyone with some programming experience. We can always pull up the NVD
  description later to get more technical.

  Try to still be specific in your description, but remove project-specific
  stuff. Remove references to versions, specific filenames, and other jargon
  that outsiders to this project would not understand. Technology like "regular
  expressions" is fine, and security phrases like "invalid write" are fine to
  keep too.

  Your target audience is people just like you before you took any course in
  security
description: |
  The snd_timer_interrupt function, part of the Linux kernel's sound subsystem,
  handles sound timer interrupts. A specific linked list within this function
  is improperly managed. Local users can exploit this by crafting a special
  ioctl call, leading to a use-after-free vulnerability. A use-after-free
  vulnerability occurs when memory is accessed after it has been freed, which
  can lead to a variety of issues, including program crashes and unpredictable
  behavior.
  
  In this case, the exploitation leads to a race condition, a situation where
  the system's behavior is dependent on the sequence or timing of other
  uncontrollable events. This race condition can cause the system to crash,
  resulting in a denial of service.
bounty_instructions: |
  If you came across any indications that a bounty was paid out for this
  vulnerability, fill it out here. Or correct it if the information already here
  was wrong. Otherwise, leave it blank.
bounty:
  amt:
  announced:
  url:
reviews: [ ]
bugs_instructions: |
  What bugs are involved in this vulnerability?

  Please list bug IDs to https://bugzilla.kernel.org/

  Bug ID's can appear in several places:
    * Mentioned in commit messages
    * Mentioned in mailing list discussions
    * References from NVD entry
    * Various other places
bugs:
  - https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1311560
fixes_instructions: |
  Please put the commit hash in "commit" below.

  This must be a git commit hash from the systemd source repo, a  40-character
  hexademical string/

  Place any notes you would like to make in the notes field.
fixes:
  - commit: ee8413b01045c74340aa13ad5bdf905de32be736
    note: Manually Confirmed
vcc_instructions: |
  The vulnerability-contributing commits.

  These are found by our tools by traversing the Git Blame history, where we
  determine which commit(s) introduced the functionality.

  Look up these VCC commits and verify that they are not simple refactorings,
  and that they are, in fact introducing the vulnerability into the system.
  Often, introducing the file or function is where the VCC is, but VCCs can be
  anything.

  Place any notes you would like to make in the notes field.
vccs:
  - commit: 9244b2c3079faac79b3b961116bd548c45087e2c
    note: Manually Confirmed
upvotes_instructions: |
  For the first round, ignore this upvotes number.

  For the second round of reviewing, you will be giving a certain amount of
  upvotes to each vulnerability you see. Your peers will tell you how
  interesting they think this vulnerability is, and you'll add that to the
  upvotes score on your branch.
upvotes: 2
unit_tested:
  question: |
    Were automated unit tests involved in this vulnerability?
    Was the original code unit tested, or not unit tested? Did the fix involve
    improving the automated tests?

    For code: and fix: - your answer should be boolean.

    For the code_answer below, look not only at the fix but the surrounding
    code near the fix in related directories and determine if and was there were
    unit tests involved for this subsystem.

    For the fix_answer below, check if the fix for the vulnerability involves
    adding or improving an automated test to ensure this doesn't happen again.
  code: false
  code_answer: No related unit tests could be found.
  fix: false
  fix_answer: No automated tests added.
discovered:
  question: |
    How was this vulnerability discovered?

    Go to the bug report and read the conversation to find out how this was
    originally found. Answer in longform below in "answer", fill in the date in
    YYYY-MM-DD, and then determine if the vulnerability was found by a Google
    employee (you can tell from their email address). If it's clear that the
    vulenrability was discovered by a contest, fill in the name there.

    The automated, contest, and developer flags can be true, false, or nil.

    If there is no evidence as to how this vulnerability was found, then please
    explain where you looked.
  answer: |
    This vulnerability was found by Dmitry Vyukov, a Google employee, by
    utilizing Google's syzkaller fuzzer.
    https://www.spinics.net/lists/alsa-devel/msg45082.html
  automated: true
  contest: false
  developer: true
autodiscoverable:
  instructions: |
    Is it plausible that a fully automated tool could have discovered
    this? These are tools that require little knowledge of the domain,
     e.g. automatic static analysis, compiler warnings, fuzzers.

    Examples for true answers: SQL injection, XSS, buffer overflow

    In systemd, the actually use OZZ Fuzz. If there's a link to it, add it here.

    Examples for false: RFC violations, permissions issues, anything
    that requires the tool to be "aware" of the project's
    domain-specific requirements.

    The answer field should be boolean. In answer_note, please explain
    why you come to that conclusion.
  note: |
    The vulnerability was discovered using Google's syzkaller fuzzer. This
    demonstrates that it's not only possible, but proven, that automated tools
    can be used to uncover similar vulnerabilities.
  answer: true
specification:
  instructions: |
    Is there mention of a violation of a specification? For example, the POSIX
    spec, an RFC spec, a network protocol spec, or some other requirements
    specification.

    Be sure to check the following artifacts for this:
      * bug reports
      * security advisories
      * commit message
      * mailing lists
      * anything else

    The answer field should be boolean. In answer_note, please explain
    why you come to that conclusion.
  note: |
    No related specification violations found in bug reports, kernel lore
    discussions, commit messages, or mailing lists.
  answer: false
subsystem:
  question: |
    What subsystems was the mistake in? These are WITHIN linux kernel

    Determining the subsystem is a subjective task. This is to help us group
     similar vulnerabilities, so choose a subsystem that other vulnerabilities would be in. Y

    Some areas to look for pertinent information:
      - Bug labels
      - Directory names
      - How developers refer to an area of the system in comments,
        commit messages, etc.

    Look at the path of the source code files code that were fixed to get
    directory names. Look at comments in the code. Look at the bug reports how
    the bug report was tagged.

    Example linux kernel subsystems are:
      * drivers
      * crypto
      * fs
      * net
      * lib

    Name should be:
      * all lowercase English letters
      * NOT a specific file
      * can have digits, and _-@/

    Can be multiple subsystems involved, in which case you can make it an array
    e.g.
        name: ["subsystemA", "subsystemB"] # ok
        name: subsystemA # also ok
  name: sound
  note: |
    The vulnerability is in the timers abstract layer of the Advanced Linux
    Sound Architecture (ALSA).
interesting_commits:
  question: |
    Are there any interesting commits between your VCC(s) and fix(es)?

    Use this to specify any commits you think are notable in some way, and
    explain why in the note.

    Example interesting commits:
      * Mentioned as a problematic commit in the past
        e.g. "This fixes regression in commit xys"
      * A significant rewrite in the git history
      * Other commits that fixed a similar issue as this vulnerability
      * Anything else you find interesting.
  commits:
    - commit:
      note:
i18n:
  question: |
    Was the feature impacted by this vulnerability about internationalization
    (i18n)?

    An internationalization feature is one that enables people from all
    over the world to use the system. This includes translations, locales,
    typography, unicode, or various other features.

    Answer should be true or false
    Write a note about how you came to the conclusions you did, regardless of
    what your answer was.
  answer: false
  note: This relates to a linked list.
sandbox:
  question: |
    Did this vulnerability violate a sandboxing feature that the system
    provides?

    A sandboxing feature is one that allows files, users, or other features
    limited access. Vulnerabilities that violate sandboxes are usually based on
    access control, checking privileges incorrectly, path traversal, and the
    like.

    Answer should be true or false
    Write a note about how you came to the conclusions you did, regardless of
    what your answer was.
  answer: false
  note: |
    The vulnerability is a race condition in the snd_timer_interrupt function,
    which is not related to sandboxing features.
ipc:
  question: |
    Did the feature that this vulnerability affected use inter-process
    communication? IPC includes OS signals, pipes, stdin/stdout, message
    passing, and clipboard. Writing to files that another program in this
    software system reads is another form of IPC.

    Answer must be true or false.
    Write a note about how you came to the conclusions you did, regardless of
    what your answer was.
  answer: false
  note: |
    The snd_timer_interrupt function, a low-level timer interrupt, directly
    interacts with hardware. Given its nature, it is highly unlikely
    that it employs any form of userspace inter-process communication (IPC) such
    as sockets, pipes, message queues, or shared memory. Therefore, any
    potential IPC usage within the broader Advanced Linux Sound Architecture
    (ALSA) system, which manages sound timers, would be unrelated to this
    specific function.
discussion:
  question: |
    Was there any discussion surrounding this?

    A discussion can include debates, disputes, or polite talk about how to
    resolve uncertainty.

    Example include:
      * Is this out of our scope?
      * Is this a security?
      * How should we fix this?

    Just because you see multiple comments doesn't mean it's a discussion.
    For example:
      * "Fix line 10". "Ok" is not what we call a discussion
      * "Ping" (reminding people)

    Check the bugs reports, pull requests, and mailing lists archives.

    These answers should be boolean.
      discussed_as_security: true or false
      any_discussion: true or false

    Put any links to disagreements you found in the notes section, or any other
    comment you want to make.
  discussed_as_security: false
  any_discussion: true
  note: |
    While I don't believe this was explicitly discussed as a security issue,
    it was discovered and discussed as a use-after-free memory vulnerability, 
    which does have security implications.
    https://www.spinics.net/lists/alsa-devel/msg45082.html
    https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/lsq.1454975631.69933183@decadent.org.uk/
vouch:
  question: |
    Was there any part of the fix that involved one person vouching for
    another's work?

    This can include:
      * signing off on a commit message
      * mentioning a discussion with a colleague checking the work
      * upvoting a solution on a pull request

    Answer must be true or false.
    Write a note about how you came to the conclusions you did, regardless of what your answer was.
  answer: true
  note: |
    The patch commit itself was overseen by numerous employees from reputable
    organizations. The vulnerability was discovered by Dmitry Vyukov, an
    employee at Google, using the syzkaller fuzzer. The patch was subsequently
    developed by Takashi Iwai from SUSE. Dmitry Vyukov then tested this patch.
    The final sign-off on the patch was done by Ben Hutchings, a Debian
    Developer.
    
    Further examination of various discussions would likely reveal that this fix
    was reviewed by an even larger number of individuals.
stacktrace:
  question: |
    Are there any stacktraces in the bug reports?

    Secondly, if there is a stacktrace, is the fix in the same file that the
    stacktrace points to?

    If there are no stacktraces, then both of these are false - but be sure to
    mention where you checked in the note.

    Answer must be true or false.
    Write a note about how you came to the conclusions you did, regardless of
    what your answer was.
  any_stacktraces: true
  stacktrace_with_fix: true
  note: |
    The stacktrace in the bug report points to the file `sound/core/timer.c`
    where the vulnerability resides and where the fix was applied.
    https://www.spinics.net/lists/alsa-devel/msg45082.html
forgotten_check:
  question: |
    Does the fix for the vulnerability involve adding a forgotten check?

    A "forgotten check" can mean many things. It often manifests as the fix
    inserting an entire if-statement or a conditional to an existing
    if-statement. Or a call to a method that checks something.

    Example of checks can include:
      * null pointer checks
      * check the current role, e.g. root
      * boundary checks for a number
      * consult file permissions
      * check a return value

    Answer must be true or false.
    Write a note about how you came to the conclusions you did, regardless of
    what your answer was.
  answer: false
  note: |
    The fix was to use a slightly different function variant for deleting
    entries from the linked list. The fix did not include adding any checks.
order_of_operations:
  question: |
    Does the fix for the vulnerability involve correcting an order of
    operations?

    This means the fix involves moving code around or changing the order of
    how things are done.

    Answer must be true or false.
    Write a note about how you came to the conclusions you did, regardless of
    what your answer was.
  answer: false
  note: |
    The fix does not involve moving code around or changing the order of how
    things are done.
lessons:
  question: |
    Are there any common lessons we have learned from class that apply to this
    vulnerability? In other words, could this vulnerability serve as an example
    of one of those lessons?

    Leave "applies" blank or put false if you did not see that lesson (you do
    not need to put a reason). Put "true" if you feel the lesson applies and put
    a quick explanation of how it applies.

    Don't feel the need to claim that ALL of these apply, but it's pretty likely
    that one or two of them apply.

    If you think of another lesson we covered in class that applies here, feel
    free to give it a small name and add one in the same format as these.
  defense_in_depth:
    applies:
    note:
  least_privilege:
    applies:
    note:
  frameworks_are_optional:
    applies:
    note:
  native_wrappers:
    applies:
    note:
  distrust_input:
    applies: true
    note: |
      The snd_timer_interrupt function lacks control over its input, leading to
      a use-after-free vulnerability.
  security_by_obscurity:
    applies:
    note:
  serial_killer:
    applies:
    note:
  environment_variables:
    applies:
    note:
  secure_by_default:
    applies: true
    note: |
      A safer function list_del_init was available but was not used correctly
      leading to the vulnerability.
  yagni:
    applies:
    note:
  complex_inputs:
    applies:
    note:
mistakes:
  question: |
    In your opinion, after all of this research, what mistakes were made that
    led to this vulnerability? Coding mistakes? Design mistakes?
    Maintainability? Requirements? Miscommunications?

    There can, and usually are, many mistakes behind a vulnerability.

    Remember that mistakes can come in many forms:
    * slip: failing to complete a properly planned step due to inattention
              e.g. wrong key in the ignition
              e.g. using < instead of <=
    * lapse: failing to complete a properly planned step due to memory failure
              e.g. forgetting to put car in reverse before backing up
              e.g. forgetting to check null
    * planning error: error that occurs when the plan is inadequate
              e.g. getting stuck in traffic because you didn't consider the
                   impact of the bridge closing
              e.g. calling the wrong method
              e.g. using a poor design

    These are grey areas, of course. But do your best to analyze the mistakes
    according to this framework.

    Look at the CWE entry for this vulnerability and examine the mitigations
    they have written there. Are they doing those? Does the fix look proper?

    Write a thoughtful entry here that people in the software engineering
    industry would find interesting.
  answer: |
    The vulnerability in this case was caused by a lapse. The developers were
    already using the safer function list_del_init in other parts of the code,
    but they overlooked its use in this specific instance,leading to the
    vulnerability.
    
    The commit 9244b2c, referenced above, introduced a change in the list
    handling from list_for_each to list_for_each_entry across the
    Advanced Linux Sound Architecture (ALSA). However, the developers failed to
    recognize that the list_del function needed to be replaced with
    list_del_init to prevent this vulnerability.
CWE_instructions: |
  Please go to https://cwe.mitre.org and find the most specific, appropriate CWE
  entry that describes your vulnerability. We recommend going to
  https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/699.html for the Software Development
  view of the vulnerabilities.

  If you have anything to note about why you classified it this way, write
  something in CWE_note. This field is optional.

  Just the number here is fine. No need for name or CWE prefix. If more than one
  apply here, then place them in an array like this
    CWE: ["123", "456"] # this is ok
    CWE: [123, 456]     # also ok
    CWE: 123            # also ok
CWE:
  - 362
CWE_note: Manually Confirmed
nickname_instructions: |
  A catchy name for this vulnerability that would draw attention it.
  If the report mentions a nickname, use that.
  Must be under 30 characters. Optional.
nickname:
CVSS: CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H