What is Race Condition Vulnerability?

A race condition is a type of software error that occurs when the order in which things happen is not considered properly by the programmer running code on an application. Race conditions often occur in parallel processes. However, they can occur within one program.

A race condition vulnerability typically occurs when your application has access to the same shared data and attempts to change variables within it simultaneously.

Applications can become vulnerable to race conditions if they interact with other applications that use parallel processing or multiple threads. Moreover, the application itself can be vulnerable if it leverages multi-threaded processing — and most do for speed.

In this article, we'll explain race condition vulnerabilities, how they work, and how they can impact your organization's security posture.

Race conditions arise when multiple threads of execution access shared memory locations and modify them without proper synchronization.

These shared memory accesses may happen concurrently, for example, if two different processes execute on separate processors. They can also occur asynchronously, like when a thread sleeps for some time.

If shared memory locations are not adequately secured, race conditions can occur. A typical example of a race condition is when two threads access a variable that holds the value 1 in its first write but changes to 0 immediately afterward. This can lead to:

• Data corruption

• Application errors

• System crashes

The threads may both read the value 1, but one line may write it back to 0 before the other can react. This can lead to unpredictable results and is a prime example of how unsynchronized accesses cause race conditions to shared memory locations.

A common cause of race conditions is when a program uses static variables. In this case, multiple threads may access the same static variable without proper synchronization. When accessing shared memory locations without appropriate synchronization, it’s critical to ensure that only one line can utilize them at a time.

According to MITRE, “The adversary targets a race condition occurring when multiple processes access and manipulate the same resource concurrently, and the outcome of the execution depends on the particular order in which the access takes place. The adversary can leverage a race condition by "running the race", modifying the resource, and modifying the normal execution flow. 

For instance, a race condition can occur while accessing a file: the adversary can trick the system by replacing the original file with their version and cause the system to read the malicious file.”

• Juniper (CVE-2020-1667)

• Wind River (CVE-2019-12263)

• TIBCO (CVE-2018-18808)

• Metinfo (CVE-2018-18808)

• Datagram (CVE-2022-20795)

• Meltdown (CVE-2017-5754)

The overall impact of a race condition vulnerability can vary greatly when affecting various programs and applications. This is because most modern programs and applications rely on multi-threaded processing to execute many actions at once.

The multi-threaded approach allows applications to run faster but not as seamlessly as often promised – that’s often due to developers failing to consider multi-threading when coding apps.

When there’s a race condition vulnerability, a program can crash or produce unexpected results. Also, there can be errors if more than one thread attempts to access data all at once.

To illustrate, say a SQL system is conducting an update to a database. It usually creates a temporary file that gets used to replace the information in the database. When a malicious threat actor plans their attack well, they can alter the temporary file or replace it with one of their own. Suddenly, they have direct access to alter their admin privileges in the system.

Once that’s done, they can cause a data breach and launch a multitude of attacks, including denial-of-service (DoS) attacks. This is because race conditions happen when two or more instructions compete for the same resource at the same time.

Race condition flaws can be easily exploited, as they can take advantage of a race condition attack to break into secured areas of applications. This is why it's crucial to make sure that all systems are constantly monitored and updated in order to patch any race condition vulnerabilities before they’re exploited.

Once the attacker replaces the database update with their own data set, they can log in as an administrator and steal whatever they want. That’s why it's important to make sure race condition flaws are identified and patched immediately. Organizations should regularly check for race condition flaws and take steps to patch them as soon as possible. 

With more companies turning to digital solutions for managing data, race condition vulnerabilities can pose a major threat to information security. To help protect systems from malicious actors, organizations must be sure their systems are constantly monitored and updated with the latest security measures in order to prevent any potential race condition attacks. Having a system in place that automatically checks for flaws and takes the necessary steps to patch them quickly is your best bet for protection.

No system is ever 100% secure, but taking the right precautions can go a long way in helping protect data from malicious actors. With the right security measures in place, organizations can be sure that their data will remain safe and secure from any race condition attacks. 

By staying vigilant against potential threats and taking the necessary steps to protect their systems, organizations can ensure that their data remains secure from any malicious actors. This is why it’s so important for organizations to stay up-to-date on the latest security measures and take the necessary steps to patch any race condition flaws as soon as possible. 

By doing this, they can protect their systems from attack and keep their data secure from any malicious actors. This is why it’s so important for organizations to stay up-to-date on the latest security measures and take the necessary steps to patch any race condition flaws before they become exploited. With proper security measures in place, organizations can be sure that their systems are safe and secure from race condition attacks.