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curl / Docs / Security Problems / POST following PUT confusion
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CVE-2022-32221: POST following PUT confusion

Project curl Security Advisory, October 26 2022 - Permalink

VULNERABILITY

When doing HTTP(S) transfers, libcurl might erroneously use the read callback (CURLOPT_READFUNCTION) to ask for data to send, even when the CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS option has been set, if the same handle previously was used to issue a PUT request which used that callback.

This flaw may surprise the application and cause it to misbehave and either send off the wrong data or use memory after free or similar in the subsequent POST request.

The problem exists in the logic for a reused handle when it is changed from a PUT to a POST.

We are not aware of any exploit of this flaw.

INFO

The code actually sending wrong data or doing a use-after-free is not present in libcurl code but are only presumed scenarios that might become the outcome of libcurl surprisingly calling the read callback in a situation where it is not expected to.

This flaw cannot be triggered with the command line tool.

This issue was reported and managed publicly before the security impact was properly understood.

The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) project has assigned the name CVE-2022-32221 to this issue.

CWE-440: Expected Behavior Violation

Severity: medium

AFFECTED VERSIONS

libcurl is used by many applications, but not always advertised as such!

THE SOLUTION

The fix for CVE-2022-32221 was committed to the curl git repository and made public before the security impact of this issue become clear to us. The securty impact was not highlighted in the commit message nor surrounding messsaging.

RECOMMENDATIONS

A - Upgrade curl to version 7.86.0

B - Apply the patch to your local version

C - Do not do mix using the read callback and postfields string on a reused easy handle

TIMELINE

This issue was reported to the curl project on September 19, 2022. We contacted distros@openwall on October 18, 2022.

libcurl 7.86.0 was released on October 26 2022, coordinated with the publication of this advisory.

CREDITS

Thanks a lot!