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Hdf5Application · Hdfgroup

CVE-2024-32621

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-05-14
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 1.14.4 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges 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 contains a heap-based buffer overflow in H5HG_read in H5HG.c (called from H5VL__native_blob_get in H5VLnative_blob.c), resulting in the corruption of the instruction pointer.

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

A heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability exists in the HDF5 library (versions through 1.14.3) within the H5HG_read function in H5HG.c, which is invoked by H5VL__native_blob_get in H5VLnative_blob.c. This memory corruption flaw allows attackers to overwrite the instruction pointer, potentially enabling arbitrary code execution.

MitigationUpdate HDF5 library to version 1.14.4 or later to patch the heap buffer overflow in the blob read functionality. If update is not immediately possible, restrict untrusted HDF5 file processing and monitor for exploitation attempts.

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
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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 installed HDF5 library version
    Run 'h5dump --version' or 'h5ls --version' if HDF5 utilities are installed. For the library itself, check with 'ldconfig -p | grep hdf5' to locate libhdf5.so and then use 'ls -la' on the file to see version info, or check your package manager (apt list --installed | grep hdf5, rpm -qa | grep hdf5, conda list hdf5).
    Affected if The reported version is lower than 1.14.4 (for example, 1.14.3, 1.14.2, 1.10.x, etc.)
  2. Locate HDF5 library files on the system
    Search for HDF5 library files using 'find /usr -name "*hdf5*" 2>/dev/null' or check common library directories like /usr/lib, /usr/lib64, /opt/hdf5/lib. Use 'ldd' on any applications that use HDF5 to confirm which library version they load.
    Affected if Any libhdf5.so file found is version 1.14.3 or earlier based on the filename or symlink target.
  3. Check for applications or tools that use blob read functionality
    Review any custom or third-party applications that process HDF5 files and may call H5HG_read or H5VL__native_blob_get functions. Check application documentation or source code for calls to H5HGget_chunk_info, H5HGread, or blob-related HDF5 functions.
    Affected if Applications process HDF5 files and use the blob read API (H5HG functions) in your environment.
  4. Audit HDF5 file processing workflows
    Identify any automated or manual workflows that ingest untrusted HDF5 files. Review logs, cron jobs, or data pipelines that load HDF5 files, particularly those that access chunked or blob data structures within the files.
    Affected if Untrusted HDF5 files are processed by systems using vulnerable HDF5 library versions.

You are affected if the HDF5 library installed in your environment is any version prior to 1.14.4 and you process HDF5 files that could trigger the blob read functionality (H5HG_read).

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 library to version 1.14.4 or later to patch the heap buffer overflow in the blob read functionality. If update is not immediately possible, restrict untrusted HDF5 file processing and monitor for exploitation attempts.

Recommended fix High confidence

1.14.4

  1. Upgrade HDF5 library to version 1.14.4 or later
  2. Verify the installation by checking the HDF5 version (e.g., using h5dump --version or compiling a simple test program)
  3. Rebuild any dependent applications to ensure they link against the updated library
  4. Test the upgraded system to confirm the vulnerability is resolved and functionality remains intact
Caveat Minor version upgrade; review release notes for any compatibility notes

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
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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-2024-32621 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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