dbcve.org
Hdf5Application · Hdfgroup

CVE-2024-29161

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-05-14
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 1.14.4 or later.
See remediation →
94/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
HDF5 through 1.14.3 contains a heap buffer overflow in H5A__attr_release_table, resulting in the corruption of the instruction pointer and causing denial of service or potential code execution.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

HDF5 library through version 1.14.3 contains a heap buffer overflow vulnerability in the H5A__attr_release_table function. This allows attackers to overflow a heap buffer, corrupting the instruction pointer and potentially achieving code execution or causing denial of service.

MitigationUpdate HDF5 to a version beyond 1.14.3 when a patched release is available, or apply vendor-provided security patches. Until patched, restrict untrusted data from being processed by HDF5 applications.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Hdf5Application
Affected:< 1.14.4

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check if HDF5 library is installed
    On Linux, run 'ldconfig -p | grep hdf5' or check for libhdf5.so files in common library directories. On systems with HDF5 tools, run 'h5dump --version' or 'hdf5 --version'. On Windows, check Program Files for HDF5 installations or look for hdf5.dll in system paths.
    Affected if HDF5 library or HDF5 tools are found on the system
  2. Determine installed HDF5 version
    Run 'h5dump --version' or 'h5ls --version' if available. Alternatively, check the library version using 'ldconfig -l libhdf5.so' or inspect the library file name which often contains the version (e.g., libhdf5.so.1.14.3). Package managers like apt, yum, or brew can also reveal installed versions with 'apt list --installed | grep hdf5' or equivalent.
    Affected if A version number is returned that is less than 1.14.4
  3. Identify applications using HDF5
    Search for binaries or scripts that link against libhdf5 by running 'ldd <binary> | grep hdf5' on suspected applications, or scan application directories for HDF5 library calls. Check application dependencies or configuration files.
    Affected if Applications link to the HDF5 library and process data files
  4. Check if untrusted HDF5 files are processed
    Review application logs, data ingestion pipelines, or user upload handling to determine if the HDF5 library processes files from untrusted or external sources. Inspect application code or configuration for HDF5 file opening operations (H5Fopen, h5py.File, etc.).
    Affected if Applications using HDF5 process files from untrusted or external sources

The environment is affected if HDF5 version 1.14.3 or earlier is installed and applications process data using the HDF5 library, particularly attribute operations that could trigger the H5A__attr_release_table function.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 1.14.4 or later
Fixed in 1.14.4
Interim mitigation

Update HDF5 to a version beyond 1.14.3 when a patched release is available, or apply vendor-provided security patches. Until patched, restrict untrusted data from being processed by HDF5 applications.

Recommended fix High confidence

1.14.4

  1. Identify the current HDF5 version installed in your environment using package manager or build system
  2. Download HDF5 version 1.14.4 from the official HDF Group website (www.hdfgroup.org) or your distribution's package repository
  3. Replace the vulnerable HDF5 library with version 1.14.4
  4. Rebuild any applications that statically link against HDF5 to ensure they use the fixed library
  5. Verify the installation by checking that the HDF5 version reports 1.14.4 or later
  6. Test applications that depend on HDF5 to ensure functionality remains intact after the upgrade

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Hdf5 Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
28.0 hours of engineering $4,760
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $7,616.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-29161 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2024-29161 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data