CVE-2019-8457: SQLite3 Heap Out-of-Bound Read Vulnerability in Rtreenode Function

CVE-2019-8457 identifies a critical heap out-of-bound read vulnerability in SQLite3 versions 3.6.0 through 3.27.2 that occurs in the rtreenode() function when processing invalid rtree tables. This vulnerability achieves a maximum CVSS score of 9.8 (Critical severity) with an EPSS score of 93.3 percentile and 11.5% exploitation probability, indicating extremely high risk and significant attack potential across database applications. The vulnerability details reveal that the rtreenode() function, used for testing purposes, contains insufficient bounds checking that allows heap memory access beyond allocated boundaries when handling malformed rtree table structures. This creates substantial exploit risk for applications using SQLite databases with rtree functionality, particularly affecting NixOS and numerous other systems that rely on SQLite for spatial indexing and geospatial data processing capabilities across embedded systems, mobile applications, and enterprise database solutions. The technical root cause lies in SQLite's rtreenode() function implementation, where inadequate input validation enables attackers to trigger heap buffer overreads through specially crafted invalid rtree tables, creating a vector for known exploited vulnerabilities targeting database systems. The vulnerability affects critical SQLite components including libsqlite3-0-32bit and sqlite-autoconf packages, demonstrating widespread exposure across multiple Linux distributions and embedded systems that incorporate SQLite for data storage. With an EPSS score of 93.3 percentile indicating high exploitation likelihood, this vulnerability represents a significant threat to systems processing untrusted SQLite databases or rtree data structures. Mitigation steps require upgrading to SQLite version 3.28.0 or later, which implements enhanced bounds checking and improved error reporting in the rtreenode() function through the use of sqlite3_str objects. Organizations should prioritize identifying all applications and systems using vulnerable SQLite versions, implement database input validation for rtree operations, apply security updates from Linux distributions including Ubuntu and Fedora, and maintain updated CVE database records to track similar memory safety vulnerabilities that could compromise database integrity and application security through heap-based buffer manipulation attacks.