CVE-2024-33877
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 · uneditedHDF5 Library through 1.14.3 has a heap-based buffer overflow in H5T__conv_struct_opt in H5Tconv.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 confidenceHeap-based buffer overflow vulnerability in HDF5 Library's H5T__conv_struct_opt function in H5Tconv.c. The flaw exists in the structured data type conversion logic and allows memory corruption during type conversion operations.
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< 1.14.4CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify installed HDF5 library versionRun 'h5dump --version' or check the libhdf5 shared library version using 'ldconfig -p | grep hdf5' and examine the file version, or use 'pkg-config --modversion hdf5' if availableAffected if The reported version is lower than 1.14.4 (e.g., 1.14.3, 1.14.2, 1.12.x, etc.)
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Locate HDF5 library files and versionFind HDF5 installation directories and check the version embedded in library filenames or metadata, such as libhdf5.so.1.14.3 or similarAffected if The library filename or metadata shows a version < 1.14.4
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Check for applications using HDF5 structured type conversionIdentify applications or scripts that load HDF5 files and perform operations on structured (compound) datatypes, as the vulnerability exists in H5T__conv_struct_opt which handles struct type conversionsAffected if The environment uses HDF5 to read/write files with compound/structured datatypes and the library version is < 1.14.4
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Audit HDF5 file processing pipelinesReview any data processing pipelines that accept HDF5 files from untrusted sources and perform type conversion operations on structured data typesAffected if External HDF5 files are processed and the HDF5 library version is < 1.14.4
The environment is affected if the installed HDF5 library version is lower than 1.14.4 and the system processes HDF5 files containing structured/compound datatypes.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scoped1.14.4
Upgrade HDF5 Library to version 1.14.4 or later where the vulnerability is patched. If immediate patching is not feasible, restrict or validate input data before type conversion operations.
HDF5 1.14.4
- 1. Identify applications or systems that link to the HDF5 library
- 2. Download HDF5 version 1.14.4 or later from the official HDF Group website (www.hdfgroup.org)
- 3. Compile and install the updated HDF5 library following standard build procedures for your platform
- 4. Rebuild any dependent applications to link against the new library version
- 5. Verify the installed version is 1.14.4 or later using h5dump --version or equivalent
- 6. Test that dependent applications function correctly with the updated library
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-33877 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2024-33877 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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