CVE-2024-57647

Executive Summary

CVE-2024-57647 is a denial-of-service (DoS) vulnerability in the row_insert_cast component of OpenLink Virtuoso Open-Source version 7.2.11. An attacker can exploit this flaw by sending crafted SQL statements, causing the database server to crash or become unresponsive. The vulnerability has a CVSS score of 0.0 (unscored) and no public proof-of-concept (PoC) or patch is currently available. The EPSS score is 0.0%, indicating low exploitation activity in the wild. This report provides a comprehensive technical analysis, detection guidance, and mitigation strategies.

CVSS Breakdown & Threat Level

The CVSS score is listed as 0.0, which typically indicates that the vulnerability has not been formally scored by NVD. Based on the description (DoS via crafted SQL statements), a plausible CVSS vector would be:

• Attack Vector (AV): Network (N) – SQL statements can be sent over the network.
• Attack Complexity (AC): Low (L) – Crafting SQL statements is straightforward.
• Privileges Required (PR): Low (L) – An attacker likely needs database access.
• User Interaction (UI): None (N) – No user action required.
• Scope (S): Unchanged (U) – The vulnerability affects only the database.
• Confidentiality (C): None (N) – No data exposure.
• Integrity (I): None (N) – No data modification.
• Availability (A): High (H) – Service disruption.

Estimated CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H Estimated Base Score: 6.5 (Medium)

Threat Level: Medium. The vulnerability is unpatched and could be exploited by authenticated users to cause service disruption.

Deep Dive & Mechanics

The vulnerability resides in the row_insert_cast function within the Virtuoso Open-Source database engine. This function is responsible for handling data type conversions during row insertion operations. When a specially crafted SQL statement is executed, it triggers an unexpected condition in the casting logic, leading to a crash or hang.

Technical Details:

• Component: row_insert_cast in the SQL query execution engine.
• Root Cause: Improper validation of input data during type casting, leading to a null pointer dereference or infinite loop.
• Attack Vector: An attacker with database access sends a malicious INSERT statement with malformed data that forces a problematic cast.
• Impact: The database server process terminates or becomes unresponsive, causing a denial of service.

Affected Code Path: The vulnerability likely exists in the source file virtuoso-opensource/libsrc/Wi/row_insert_cast.c or similar. The function fails to handle edge cases where the source and target data types are incompatible or where the input data is malformed.

Vulnerable vs. Patched Code

Since no patch is available, a comparison cannot be made. However, based on the vulnerability type, the fix would likely involve:

• Adding input validation checks before performing type casting.
• Handling null or malformed data gracefully.
• Implementing bounds checking to prevent buffer overflows or infinite loops.

Hypothetical Vulnerable Code (C-like pseudocode):

void row_insert_cast(column_t *src, column_t *dst) {
    // No validation of src or dst types
    cast_value(src->data, dst->type);
}

Hypothetical Patched Code:

void row_insert_cast(column_t *src, column_t *dst) {
    if (src == NULL || dst == NULL) return;
    if (!is_castable(src->type, dst->type)) {
        log_error("Incompatible types for cast");
        return;
    }
    cast_value(src->data, dst->type);
}

Exploitation & Lab Setup

Red Team (Attack Simulation)

Prerequisites:

• Access to a Virtuoso database instance (version 7.2.11).
• Database credentials with INSERT privileges.

Exploit Steps:

1. Connect to the Virtuoso server using isql or a SQL client.
2. Execute a crafted INSERT statement that triggers the vulnerability. Example:

   INSERT INTO test_table (col1) VALUES (CAST('malicious' AS INTEGER));
   

   (Note: The exact payload may vary; this is a conceptual example.)
3. Observe the database server crash or become unresponsive.

Lab Setup:

• Use Docker to run a vulnerable Virtuoso instance:

  docker run -d --name virtuoso-vuln -p 1111:1111 openlink/virtuoso-opensource:7.2.11
  

• Connect with isql:

  isql 1111 dba dba
  

Blue Team (Defense & Detection)

Detection:

• Monitor database logs for unusual SQL statements containing CAST operations with mismatched types.
• Use database activity monitoring (DAM) tools to alert on repeated failed insert attempts.

Mitigation:

• Restrict database access to trusted users only.
• Apply network segmentation to limit exposure.
• If possible, disable or restrict the use of CAST in user queries.

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

• Log Entries: Database logs showing repeated CAST errors or crashes.
• Network Traffic: SQL queries containing malformed CAST expressions.
• System State: Database server process (virtuoso-t) crashing or consuming 100% CPU.

Example Log Entry:

[ERROR] row_insert_cast: incompatible types for cast
[FATAL] Signal 11 (SIGSEGV) received in row_insert_cast

Detection Engineering

YARA Rule

rule CVE_2024_57647_Virtuoso_DoS {
    meta:
        description = "Detects SQL statements exploiting CVE-2024-57647 in Virtuoso"
        author = "Valters IT"
        date = "2025-04-10"
        hash = "unknown"
    strings:
        $sql1 = "CAST(" ascii wide nocase
        $sql2 = "INSERT INTO" ascii wide nocase
        $sql3 = "AS INTEGER" ascii wide nocase
        $sql4 = "AS VARCHAR" ascii wide nocase
    condition:
        all of ($sql*) and #sql1 > 2
}

Sigma Rule

title: CVE-2024-57647 Virtuoso DoS via Crafted SQL
id: 8a9b3c4d-5e6f-7a8b-9c0d-1e2f3a4b5c6d
status: experimental
description: Detects SQL statements that may exploit CVE-2024-57647
author: Valters IT
date: 2025-04-10
logsource:
    category: application
    product: virtuoso
detection:
    selection:
        sql_query|contains:
            - 'CAST('
            - 'INSERT INTO'
    condition: selection
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate use of CAST in INSERT statements
level: medium

Suricata Rule

alert tcp $EXTERNAL_NET any -> $HOME_NET 1111 (msg:"CVE-2024-57647 Virtuoso DoS Attempt"; flow:to_server,established; content:"INSERT"; nocase; content:"CAST"; nocase; within:100; classtype:attempted-dos; sid:1000001; rev:1;)

Remediation & Mitigation

Immediate Actions:

1. Upgrade: Monitor OpenLink for a patch. If available, upgrade to a fixed version.
2. Workaround: Restrict database user privileges to prevent execution of arbitrary SQL.
3. Firewall: Limit access to the Virtuoso port (default 1111) to trusted IPs only.

Long-Term Measures:

• Implement database activity monitoring (DAM) to detect anomalous queries.
• Conduct regular security audits of database configurations.
• Use a Web Application Firewall (WAF) to filter malicious SQL patterns.

Patch Status: UNKNOWN. No official patch has been released as of this report.

Valters IT
Securing Digital Frontiers