CVE-2021-45688: Ash Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-64wv-8vwp-xgw2
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CVSS 9.8
CWE-908
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2021-45688 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) remote code execution vulnerability (CWE-908: Use of Uninitialized Resource) affecting Ash libraries in the crates.io ecosystem. The issue involves use of uninitialized resource in ash.. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 0.33.1.

CVE-2021-45688 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2021-45688
GHSA Identifier GHSA-64wv-8vwp-xgw2
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
CWE Classification CWE-908: Use of Uninitialized Resource
Affected Product Ash
Package Ecosystem crates.io
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 9.8

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2021-45688

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Ash dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

ash fixed: 0.33.1 
Upgrade ash to 0.33.1
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

inspect dependencies for ash

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2021-45688, inspect your project dependencies for Ash:

inspect dependencies for ash

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Ash in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 0.33.1), your application is affected.

Note: Verify declared build manifests and deployed runtime container environments.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-908: Use of Uninitialized Resource, where the product uses or accesses a resource that has not been initialized. In Ash, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

An issue was discovered in the ash crate before 0.33.1 for Rust. util::read_spv may read from uninitialized memory locations.

CVE-2021-45688 Affected Ash Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
0.33.1
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
ash
 crates.io
< 0.33.1
0.33.1

References

NVD — CVE-2021-45688 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-45688
Ash Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/MaikKlein/ash/issues/354
Ash Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/ash-rs/ash/issues/354
Ash Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/ash-rs/ash/pull/470
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/ash-rs/ash/commit/2c98b6f384a017de031698bd623551a45f24c8f9
Ash Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/MaikKlein/ash
Ash Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/ash-rs/ash/compare/0.33.0...0.33.1
raw.githubusercontent.com/rustsec/advisory-db... WEB
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/rustsec/advisory-db/main/crates/ash/RUSTSEC-2021-0090.md
rustsec.org/advisories/rustsec-... WEB
https://rustsec.org/advisories/RUSTSEC-2021-0090.html

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-45688?
CVE-2021-45688 is a security vulnerability in Ash involving Use of Uninitialized Resource in ash. under CWE-908: Use of Uninitialized Resource.
Which Ash versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 0.33.1 across affected packages: ash.
What version fixes CVE-2021-45688?
Upgrading to 0.33.1 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is ash affected?
Yes, ash is affected in releases prior to 0.33.1. Upgrade your dependency to 0.33.1 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-45688?
CVE-2021-45688 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2021-45688?
CVE-2021-45688 is classified under CWE-908: Use of Uninitialized Resource (The product uses or accesses a resource that has not been initialized.).
How can I check crates.io dependencies for CVE-2021-45688?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for ash'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-64wv-8vwp-xgw2",
  "modified" : "2022-01-07T17:19:25Z",
  "published" : "2022-01-06T22:13:02Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2021-45688" ],
  "summary" : "Use of Uninitialized Resource in ash.",
  "details" : "An issue was discovered in the ash crate before 0.33.1 for Rust. util::read_spv may read from uninitialized memory locations.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "crates.io",
      "name" : "ash"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "0.33.1"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-45688"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/MaikKlein/ash/issues/354"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ash-rs/ash/issues/354"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ash-rs/ash/pull/470"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ash-rs/ash/commit/2c98b6f384a017de031698bd623551a45f24c8f9"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/MaikKlein/ash"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ash-rs/ash/compare/0.33.0...0.33.1"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/rustsec/advisory-db/main/crates/ash/RUSTSEC-2021-0090.md"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://rustsec.org/advisories/RUSTSEC-2021-0090.html"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-908" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-01-06T16:49:36Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2021-12-27T00:15:00Z"
  }
}