Affected versions of the crate

Oct 13, 2025 by wbrum.org 47 views

Introduction

The Rust ecosystem is constantly evolving, with new libraries and frameworks being developed to meet the growing demands of modern software development. However, with the increasing complexity of these libraries, the risk of security vulnerabilities also grows. In this article, we will be discussing the RUSTSEC-2024-0437 vulnerability, which affects the protobuf crate. This vulnerability allows an attacker to cause a stack overflow when parsing a message on untrusted data.

What is the protobuf crate?

The protobuf crate is a Rust implementation of the Protocol Buffers (protobuf) data serialization format. Protocol Buffers is a language-agnostic data serialization format developed by Google. It is used to serialize and deserialize data in a platform-independent way. The protobuf crate provides a Rust API for working with Protocol Buffers, allowing developers to easily serialize and deserialize data in their Rust applications.

What is the RUSTSEC-2024-0437 vulnerability?

The RUSTSEC-2024-0437 vulnerability is a crash due to uncontrolled recursion in the protobuf crate. This vulnerability occurs when the crate is used to parse a user-supplied input that contains unknown fields. The crate does not properly handle unknown fields, which allows an attacker to cause a stack overflow when parsing the message on untrusted data.

How does the vulnerability work?

The vulnerability occurs when the protobuf crate is used to parse a message that contains unknown fields. The crate does not properly handle unknown fields, which allows an attacker to cause a stack overflow when parsing the message on untrusted data. The attacker can control the fields that are added to the message, allowing them to cause a stack overflow by adding a large number of fields to the message.

Affected versions of the crate

The affected versions of the protobuf crate are 2.28.0. This version of the crate does not properly handle unknown fields, which allows an attacker to cause a stack overflow when parsing the message on untrusted data.

How to fix the vulnerability

To fix the vulnerability, you can update the protobuf crate to a version that is not affected by the vulnerability. The latest version of the crate is 2.29.0, which has been fixed to properly handle unknown fields.

Conclusion

The RUSTSEC-2024-0437 vulnerability is a crash due to uncontrolled recursion in the protobuf crate. This vulnerability allows an attacker to cause a stack overflow when parsing a message on untrusted data. The affected versions of the crate are 2.28.0, and the vulnerability can be fixed by updating the crate to a version that is not affected by the vulnerability.

Additional information

Package: protobuf
Version: 2.28.0
URL: https://github.com/stepancheg/rust-protobuf/issues/749
Date: 2024-12-12

How to prevent similar vulnerabilities

To prevent similar vulnerabilities, you can follow these best practices:

Use a secure library: Use a library that is known to be secure and has a good track record of handling security vulnerabilities.
Keep your dependencies up to date: Keep your dependencies up to date to ensure that you have the latest security patches.
Use a linter: Use a linter to catch potential security vulnerabilities in your code.
Use a code review process: Use a code review process to catch potential security vulnerabilities in your code.

Conclusion

Introduction

The RUSTSEC-2024-0437 vulnerability is a crash due to uncontrolled recursion in the protobuf crate. This vulnerability allows an attacker to cause a stack overflow when parsing a message on untrusted data. In this article, we will be answering some frequently asked questions about the RUSTSEC-2024-0437 vulnerability.

Q: What is the RUSTSEC-2024-0437 vulnerability?

A: The RUSTSEC-2024-0437 vulnerability is a crash due to uncontrolled recursion in the protobuf crate. This vulnerability occurs when the crate is used to parse a user-supplied input that contains unknown fields. The crate does not properly handle unknown fields, which allows an attacker to cause a stack overflow when parsing the message on untrusted data.

Q: What is the affected version of the crate?

A: The affected version of the protobuf crate is 2.28.0. This version of the crate does not properly handle unknown fields, which allows an attacker to cause a stack overflow when parsing the message on untrusted data.

Q: How does the vulnerability work?

A: The vulnerability occurs when the protobuf crate is used to parse a message that contains unknown fields. The crate does not properly handle unknown fields, which allows an attacker to cause a stack overflow when parsing the message on untrusted data. The attacker can control the fields that are added to the message, allowing them to cause a stack overflow by adding a large number of fields to the message.

Q: How can I fix the vulnerability?

A: To fix the vulnerability, you can update the protobuf crate to a version that is not affected by the vulnerability. The latest version of the crate is 2.29.0, which has been fixed to properly handle unknown fields.

Q: What are the consequences of not fixing the vulnerability?

A: If the vulnerability is not fixed, an attacker can cause a stack overflow when parsing a message on untrusted data. This can lead to a denial-of-service (DoS) attack, where the application becomes unresponsive and cannot be used.

Q: How can I prevent similar vulnerabilities?

A: To prevent similar vulnerabilities, you can follow these best practices:

Use a secure library: Use a library that is known to be secure and has a good track record of handling security vulnerabilities.
Keep your dependencies up to date: Keep your dependencies up to date to ensure that you have the latest security patches.
Use a linter: Use a linter to catch potential security vulnerabilities in your code.
Use a code review process: Use a code review process to catch potential security vulnerabilities in your code.

Q: What is the impact of the vulnerability on my application?

A: The impact of the vulnerability on your application will depend on how you are using the protobuf crate. If you are using the crate to parse user-supplied input, you may be vulnerable to a stack overflow attack. If you are not using the crate to parse user-supplied input, you may not be vulnerable to the attack.

Q: How can I determine if my application is vulnerable?

A: To determine if your application is vulnerable, you can check the version of the protobuf crate that you are using. If you are using version 2.28.0, you are vulnerable to the attack. If you are using a later version of the crate, you are not vulnerable.

Q: What should I do if I am vulnerable?

A: If you are vulnerable, you should update the protobuf crate to a version that is not affected by the vulnerability. The latest version of the crate is 2.29.0, which has been fixed to properly handle unknown fields.

Conclusion

The RUSTSEC-2024-0437 vulnerability is a crash due to uncontrolled recursion in the protobuf crate. This vulnerability allows an attacker to cause a stack overflow when parsing a message on untrusted data. By following the best practices outlined in this article, you can prevent similar vulnerabilities in your own code.