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CVE-2024-45777: Out-of-bounds Write

Medium
VulnerabilityCVE-2024-45777cvecve-2024-45777
Published: Wed Feb 19 2025 (02/19/2025, 17:54:01 UTC)
Source: CVE

Description

A flaw was found in grub2. The calculation of the translation buffer when reading a language .mo file in grub_gettext_getstr_from_position() may overflow, leading to a Out-of-bound write. This issue can be leveraged by an attacker to overwrite grub2's sensitive heap data, eventually leading to the circumvention of secure boot protections.

AI-Powered Analysis

AILast updated: 07/05/2025, 17:41:46 UTC

Technical Analysis

CVE-2024-45777 is a medium-severity vulnerability identified in the GRUB2 bootloader, specifically within the function grub_gettext_getstr_from_position(). The flaw arises from an out-of-bounds write caused by an incorrect calculation of the translation buffer size when processing language .mo files. This buffer overflow can lead to overwriting sensitive heap data used by GRUB2. Since GRUB2 is a critical component responsible for bootstrapping operating systems and enforcing secure boot protections, exploitation of this vulnerability could allow an attacker to bypass secure boot mechanisms. This would undermine the integrity of the boot process, potentially enabling unauthorized code execution at an early stage of system startup. The vulnerability requires local access with high privileges (as indicated by the CVSS vector AV:L/PR:H), and does not require user interaction. Although no known exploits are currently reported in the wild, the impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability is high due to the possibility of compromising secure boot and loading malicious boot components. The vulnerability affects GRUB2 versions prior to the patch, but specific affected versions are not detailed in the provided information. The issue was reserved in September 2024 and published in February 2025, with a CVSS score of 6.7, reflecting a medium severity classification.

Potential Impact

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2024-45777 can be significant, especially for those relying on secure boot to protect critical infrastructure, enterprise servers, and endpoint devices. Secure boot is a foundational security control that ensures only trusted software is loaded during system startup, preventing rootkits and bootkits. Circumvention of secure boot could lead to persistent malware infections that are difficult to detect and remove, potentially compromising sensitive data and disrupting operations. Organizations in sectors such as finance, healthcare, government, and critical infrastructure are particularly at risk due to the high value of their data and the regulatory requirements for system integrity. Additionally, the requirement for local high-privilege access means that attackers would need to gain elevated access first, which could occur through other vulnerabilities or insider threats. The absence of known exploits in the wild provides a window for proactive mitigation, but the potential for future exploitation necessitates urgent attention to patching and system hardening.

Mitigation Recommendations

To mitigate CVE-2024-45777, European organizations should: 1) Identify all systems using GRUB2 as their bootloader, including servers, desktops, and embedded devices. 2) Apply vendor-supplied patches or updates for GRUB2 as soon as they become available, ensuring that the vulnerable translation buffer calculation is corrected. 3) Restrict local administrative access to trusted personnel and implement strong access controls to reduce the risk of privilege escalation that could lead to exploitation. 4) Monitor system integrity and boot logs for anomalies that might indicate attempts to bypass secure boot. 5) Employ hardware-based root of trust mechanisms where possible to complement secure boot protections. 6) Conduct regular security audits and penetration testing focusing on boot process security. 7) Maintain updated inventories of firmware and bootloader versions to ensure timely patch management. Since no patches are linked in the provided data, organizations should monitor official GRUB2 and Linux distribution security advisories for updates.

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Technical Details

Data Version
5.1
Assigner Short Name
redhat
Date Reserved
2024-09-08T01:57:12.948Z
Cisa Enriched
true
Cvss Version
3.1
State
PUBLISHED

Threat ID: 682d981cc4522896dcbda2eb

Added to database: 5/21/2025, 9:08:44 AM

Last enriched: 7/5/2025, 5:41:46 PM

Last updated: 8/14/2025, 11:51:18 AM

Views: 20

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