dbcve.org
Hdf5Application · Hdfgroup

CVE-2024-32605

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 Library through 1.14.3 has a heap-based buffer over-read in H5VM_memcpyvv in H5VM.c (called from H5D__compact_readvv in H5Dcompact.c).

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 · moderate confidence

HDF5 Library through 1.14.3 contains a heap-based buffer over-read vulnerability in the H5VM_memcpyvv function in H5VM.c, which is invoked during compact dataset read operations via H5D__compact_readvv. This memory safety issue could allow an attacker to read sensitive heap memory contents by supplying specially crafted HDF5 files.

MitigationUpgrade HDF5 Library to a patched version beyond 1.14.3 when available. Until then, implement strict input validation on HDF5 files from untrusted sources and apply the principle of least privilege to processes handling HDF5 data.

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. Identify if HDF5 library is installed
    Run 'pkg-config --modversion hdf5' or check for libhdf5.so files in standard library directories (e.g., /usr/lib, /usr/local/lib)
    Affected if HDF5 library files are present on the system
  2. Determine the installed HDF5 version
    Run 'h5dump -version' or use 'pkg-config --modversion hdf5' to retrieve the exact version number
    Affected if The version number returned is less than 1.14.4
  3. Verify the H5VM.c component version
    If HDF5 was built from source, inspect the H5VM.c file header or run 'strings libhdf5.so | grep H5VM' to confirm the component matches the vulnerable code path
    Affected if The library contains the H5VM_memcpyvv function from versions prior to 1.14.4
  4. Check if applications process HDF5 files from untrusted sources
    Review application code or configuration for HDF5 file handling, specifically look for H5Dread or H5D__compact_readvv code paths that open files from external or untrusted inputs
    Affected if The environment reads or processes HDF5 files from untrusted or external sources using the vulnerable compact dataset read functionality

A system is affected if HDF5 library version is below 1.14.4 AND the library is used to read HDF5 files, particularly compact datasets, from any source (including potentially untrusted files).

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

Upgrade HDF5 Library to a patched version beyond 1.14.3 when available. Until then, implement strict input validation on HDF5 files from untrusted sources and apply the principle of least privilege to processes handling HDF5 data.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

1.14.4

  1. 1. Identify the current HDF5 library version in use by checking your project's dependencies or running `h5dump --version`
  2. 2. Update the HDF5 library to version 1.14.4 or later
  3. 3. For package managers: use `apt-get install libhdf5-dev` (Debian/Ubuntu), `yum install hdf5-devel` (RHEL/CentOS), or `brew install hdf5` (macOS)
  4. 4. For source compilation: download HDF5 1.14.4 or later from www.hdfgroup.org and rebuild
  5. 5. Rebuild and recompile any applications that link against the HDF5 library
  6. 6. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the version again
Caveat Check HDF5 1.14.4 release notes for any compatibility changes with your existing data files and code

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-2024-32605 — 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-2024-32605 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