CVE-2024-7254: Protobuf java Denial of Service Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-735f-pc8j-v9w8
Share
CVSS 7.5
CWE-400 CWE-787 CWE-20
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2024-7254 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) denial of service vulnerability (CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption) affecting Protobuf java libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves protobuf-java has potential denial of service issue. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 3.25.5, 4.27.5, 4.28.2.

CVE-2024-7254 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2024-7254
GHSA Identifier GHSA-735f-pc8j-v9w8
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.5
CWE Classification CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption
Affected Product Protobuf java
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.5

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:N/I:N/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 None (C:N)
Integrity None (I:N)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2024-7254

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

com.google.protobuf:protobuf-java fixed: 3.25.5 
<dependency>
    <groupId>com.google.protobuf</groupId>
    <artifactId>protobuf-java</artifactId>
    <version>3.25.5</version>
</dependency>
com.google.protobuf:protobuf-javalite fixed: 3.25.5 
<dependency>
    <groupId>com.google.protobuf</groupId>
    <artifactId>protobuf-javalite</artifactId>
    <version>3.25.5</version>
</dependency>
com.google.protobuf:protobuf-kotlin fixed: 3.25.5 
<dependency>
    <groupId>com.google.protobuf</groupId>
    <artifactId>protobuf-kotlin</artifactId>
    <version>3.25.5</version>
</dependency>
com.google.protobuf:protobuf-kotlin-lite fixed: 3.25.5 
<dependency>
    <groupId>com.google.protobuf</groupId>
    <artifactId>protobuf-kotlin-lite</artifactId>
    <version>3.25.5</version>
</dependency>
google-protobuf fixed: 3.25.5 
Upgrade google-protobuf to 3.25.5
google-protobuf fixed: 4.27.5 
Upgrade google-protobuf to 4.27.5
google-protobuf fixed: 4.28.2 
Upgrade google-protobuf to 4.28.2
com.google.protobuf:protobuf-kotlin-lite fixed: 4.27.5 
<dependency>
    <groupId>com.google.protobuf</groupId>
    <artifactId>protobuf-kotlin-lite</artifactId>
    <version>4.27.5</version>
</dependency>
com.google.protobuf:protobuf-kotlin-lite fixed: 4.28.2 
<dependency>
    <groupId>com.google.protobuf</groupId>
    <artifactId>protobuf-kotlin-lite</artifactId>
    <version>4.28.2</version>
</dependency>
com.google.protobuf:protobuf-kotlin fixed: 4.27.5 
<dependency>
    <groupId>com.google.protobuf</groupId>
    <artifactId>protobuf-kotlin</artifactId>
    <version>4.27.5</version>
</dependency>
com.google.protobuf:protobuf-kotlin fixed: 4.28.2 
<dependency>
    <groupId>com.google.protobuf</groupId>
    <artifactId>protobuf-kotlin</artifactId>
    <version>4.28.2</version>
</dependency>
com.google.protobuf:protobuf-javalite fixed: 4.27.5 
<dependency>
    <groupId>com.google.protobuf</groupId>
    <artifactId>protobuf-javalite</artifactId>
    <version>4.27.5</version>
</dependency>
com.google.protobuf:protobuf-javalite fixed: 4.28.2 
<dependency>
    <groupId>com.google.protobuf</groupId>
    <artifactId>protobuf-javalite</artifactId>
    <version>4.28.2</version>
</dependency>
com.google.protobuf:protobuf-java fixed: 4.27.5 
<dependency>
    <groupId>com.google.protobuf</groupId>
    <artifactId>protobuf-java</artifactId>
    <version>4.27.5</version>
</dependency>
com.google.protobuf:protobuf-java fixed: 4.28.2 
<dependency>
    <groupId>com.google.protobuf</groupId>
    <artifactId>protobuf-java</artifactId>
    <version>4.28.2</version>
</dependency>
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

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

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=com.google.protobuf

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2024-7254, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=com.google.protobuf

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Protobuf java in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 3.25.5), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=com.google.protobuf command inspects the resolved dependency graph declared in your project's POM files; it does not perform automated security scanning or inspect runtime dynamic classpaths. Always verify runtime container classpaths and shaded JARs.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption, where the product does not properly control the allocation and maintenance of a limited resource. In Protobuf java, 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

### Summary When parsing unknown fields in the Protobuf Java Lite and Full library, a maliciously crafted message can cause a StackOverflow error and lead to a program crash. Reporter: Alexis Challande, Trail of Bits Ecosystem Security Team <ecosystem@trailofbits.com> Affected versions: This issue affects all versions of both the Java full and lite Protobuf runtimes, as well as Protobuf for Kotlin and JRuby, which themselves use the Java Protobuf runtime. ### Severity [CVE-2024-7254](https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2024-7254) **High** CVSS4.0 Score 8.7 (NOTE: there may be a delay in publication) This is a potential Denial of Service. Parsing nested groups as unknown fields with DiscardUnknownFieldsParser or Java Protobuf Lite parser, or against Protobuf map fields, creates unbounded recursions that can be abused by an attacker. ### Proof of Concept For reproduction details, please refer to the unit tests (Protobuf Java [LiteTest](https://github.com/protocolbuffers/protobuf/blob/a037f28ff81ee45ebe008c64ab632bf5372242ce/java/lite/src/test/java/com/google/protobuf/LiteTest.java) and [CodedInputStreamTest](https://github.com/protocolbuffers/protobuf/blob/a037f28ff81ee45ebe008c64ab632bf5372242ce/java/core/src/test/java/com/google/protobuf/CodedInputStreamTest.java)) that identify the specific inputs that exercise this parsing weakness. ### Remediation and Mitigation We have been working diligently to address this issue and have released a mitigation that is available now. Please update to the latest available versions of the following packages: * protobuf-java (3.25.5, 4.27.5, 4.28.2) * protobuf-javalite (3.25.5, 4.27.5, 4.28.2) * protobuf-kotlin (3.25.5, 4.27.5, 4.28.2) * protobuf-kotlin-lite (3.25.5, 4.27.5, 4.28.2) * com-protobuf [JRuby gem only] (3.25.5, 4.27.5, 4.28.2)

CVE-2024-7254 Affected Protobuf java Versions

15 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
3.25.54.27.54.28.2
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
com.google.protobuf:protobuf-java
maven/com.google.protobuf/protobuf-java
Maven
< 3.25.5
3.25.5
com.google.protobuf:protobuf-javalite
maven/com.google.protobuf/protobuf-javalite
Maven
< 3.25.5
3.25.5
com.google.protobuf:protobuf-kotlin
maven/com.google.protobuf/protobuf-kotlin
Maven
< 3.25.5
3.25.5
com.google.protobuf:protobuf-kotlin-lite
maven/com.google.protobuf/protobuf-kotlin-lite
Maven
< 3.25.5
3.25.5
google-protobuf
gem/google-protobuf
RubyGems
< 3.25.5
3.25.5
google-protobuf
gem/google-protobuf
RubyGems
≥ 4.0.0.rc.1
< 4.27.5
4.27.5
google-protobuf
gem/google-protobuf
RubyGems
≥ 4.28.0.rc.1
< 4.28.2
4.28.2
com.google.protobuf:protobuf-kotlin-lite
maven/com.google.protobuf/protobuf-kotlin-lite
Maven
≥ 4.0.0-RC1
< 4.27.5
4.27.5
com.google.protobuf:protobuf-kotlin-lite
maven/com.google.protobuf/protobuf-kotlin-lite
Maven
≥ 4.28.0-RC1
< 4.28.2
4.28.2
com.google.protobuf:protobuf-kotlin
maven/com.google.protobuf/protobuf-kotlin
Maven
≥ 4.0.0-RC1
< 4.27.5
4.27.5
com.google.protobuf:protobuf-kotlin
maven/com.google.protobuf/protobuf-kotlin
Maven
≥ 4.28.0-RC1
< 4.28.2
4.28.2
com.google.protobuf:protobuf-javalite
maven/com.google.protobuf/protobuf-javalite
Maven
≥ 4.0.0-RC1
< 4.27.5
4.27.5
com.google.protobuf:protobuf-javalite
maven/com.google.protobuf/protobuf-javalite
Maven
≥ 4.28.0-RC1
< 4.28.2
4.28.2
com.google.protobuf:protobuf-java
maven/com.google.protobuf/protobuf-java
Maven
≥ 4.0.0-RC1
< 4.27.5
4.27.5
com.google.protobuf:protobuf-java
maven/com.google.protobuf/protobuf-java
Maven
≥ 4.28.0-RC1
< 4.28.2
4.28.2

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/protocolbuffers/protobuf/security/advisories/GHSA-735f-pc8j-v9w8
NVD — CVE-2024-7254 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-7254
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/protocolbuffers/protobuf/commit/4728531c162f2f9e8c2ca1add713cfee2db6be3b
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/protocolbuffers/protobuf/commit/850fcce9176e2c9070614dab53537760498c926b
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/protocolbuffers/protobuf/commit/9a5f5fe752a20cbac2e722b06949ac985abdd534
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/protocolbuffers/protobuf/commit/ac9fb5b4c71b0dd80985b27684e265d1f03abf46
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/protocolbuffers/protobuf/commit/cc8b3483a5584b3301e3d43d17eb59704857ffaa
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/protocolbuffers/protobuf/commit/d6c82fc55a76481c676f541a255571e8950bb8c3
Protobuf java Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/protocolbuffers/protobuf
Protobuf java Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/rubysec/ruby-advisory-db/blob/master/gems/google-protobuf/CVE-2024-7254.yml
Protobuf java Security Information SECURITY
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20241213-0010
Protobuf java Security Information SECURITY
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20250418-0006

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2024-7254?
CVE-2024-7254 is a security vulnerability in Protobuf java involving protobuf-java has potential Denial of Service issue under CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption.
Which Protobuf java versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 3.25.5, 4.27.5, 4.28.2 across affected packages: com.google.protobuf:protobuf-java, com.google.protobuf:protobuf-javalite, com.google.protobuf:protobuf-kotlin, com.google.protobuf:protobuf-kotlin-lite, google-protobuf.
What version fixes CVE-2024-7254?
Upgrading to 3.25.5, 4.27.5, 4.28.2 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is protobuf-java affected?
Yes, com.google.protobuf:protobuf-java is affected in releases prior to 3.25.5, 4.27.5, 4.28.2. Upgrade your dependency to 3.25.5, 4.27.5, 4.28.2 or later.
Is protobuf-javalite affected?
Yes, com.google.protobuf:protobuf-javalite is affected in releases prior to 3.25.5, 4.27.5, 4.28.2. Upgrade your dependency to 3.25.5, 4.27.5, 4.28.2 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2024-7254?
CVE-2024-7254 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2024-7254?
CVE-2024-7254 is classified under CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption (The product does not properly control the allocation and maintenance of a limited resource.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2024-7254?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=com.google.protobuf'. 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-735f-pc8j-v9w8",
  "modified" : "2025-09-10T20:53:03Z",
  "published" : "2024-09-19T16:06:03Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2024-7254" ],
  "summary" : "protobuf-java has potential Denial of Service issue",
  "details" : "### Summary\nWhen parsing unknown fields in the Protobuf Java Lite and Full library, a maliciously crafted message can cause a StackOverflow error and lead to a program crash.\n\nReporter: Alexis Challande, Trail of Bits Ecosystem Security Team <ecosystem@trailofbits.com>\n\nAffected versions: This issue affects all versions of both the Java full and lite Protobuf runtimes, as well as Protobuf for Kotlin and JRuby, which themselves use the Java Protobuf runtime.\n\n### Severity\n[CVE-2024-7254](https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2024-7254) **High** CVSS4.0 Score 8.7 (NOTE: there may be a delay in publication)\nThis is a potential Denial of Service. Parsing nested groups as unknown fields with DiscardUnknownFieldsParser or Java Protobuf Lite parser, or against Protobuf map fields, creates unbounded recursions that can be abused by an attacker.\n\n### Proof of Concept\nFor reproduction details, please refer to the unit tests (Protobuf Java [LiteTest](https://github.com/protocolbuffers/protobuf/blob/a037f28ff81ee45ebe008c64ab632bf5372242ce/java/lite/src/test/java/com/google/protobuf/LiteTest.java) and [CodedInputStreamTest](https://github.com/protocolbuffers/protobuf/blob/a037f28ff81ee45ebe008c64ab632bf5372242ce/java/core/src/test/java/com/google/protobuf/CodedInputStreamTest.java)) that identify the specific inputs that exercise this parsing weakness.\n\n### Remediation and Mitigation\nWe have been working diligently to address this issue and have released a mitigation that is available now. Please update to the latest available versions of the following packages:\n* protobuf-java (3.25.5, 4.27.5, 4.28.2)\n* protobuf-javalite (3.25.5, 4.27.5, 4.28.2)\n* protobuf-kotlin (3.25.5, 4.27.5, 4.28.2)\n* protobuf-kotlin-lite (3.25.5, 4.27.5, 4.28.2)\n* com-protobuf [JRuby gem only] (3.25.5, 4.27.5, 4.28.2)",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "com.google.protobuf:protobuf-java"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.25.5"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "com.google.protobuf:protobuf-javalite"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.25.5"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "com.google.protobuf:protobuf-kotlin"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.25.5"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "com.google.protobuf:protobuf-kotlin-lite"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.25.5"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "RubyGems",
      "name" : "google-protobuf"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.25.5"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "RubyGems",
      "name" : "google-protobuf"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "4.0.0.rc.1"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.27.5"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "RubyGems",
      "name" : "google-protobuf"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "4.28.0.rc.1"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.28.2"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "com.google.protobuf:protobuf-kotlin-lite"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "4.0.0-RC1"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.27.5"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "com.google.protobuf:protobuf-kotlin-lite"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "4.28.0-RC1"
      }, {
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      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "com.google.protobuf:protobuf-kotlin"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
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      "events" : [ {
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      }, {
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      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "com.google.protobuf:protobuf-kotlin"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "4.28.0-RC1"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.28.2"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "com.google.protobuf:protobuf-javalite"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "4.0.0-RC1"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.27.5"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "com.google.protobuf:protobuf-javalite"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "4.28.0-RC1"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.28.2"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "com.google.protobuf:protobuf-java"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "4.0.0-RC1"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.27.5"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "com.google.protobuf:protobuf-java"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "4.28.0-RC1"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.28.2"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/protocolbuffers/protobuf/security/advisories/GHSA-735f-pc8j-v9w8"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-7254"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/protocolbuffers/protobuf/commit/4728531c162f2f9e8c2ca1add713cfee2db6be3b"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/protocolbuffers/protobuf/commit/850fcce9176e2c9070614dab53537760498c926b"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/protocolbuffers/protobuf/commit/9a5f5fe752a20cbac2e722b06949ac985abdd534"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/protocolbuffers/protobuf/commit/ac9fb5b4c71b0dd80985b27684e265d1f03abf46"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/protocolbuffers/protobuf/commit/cc8b3483a5584b3301e3d43d17eb59704857ffaa"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/protocolbuffers/protobuf/commit/d6c82fc55a76481c676f541a255571e8950bb8c3"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/protocolbuffers/protobuf"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/rubysec/ruby-advisory-db/blob/master/gems/google-protobuf/CVE-2024-7254.yml"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20241213-0010"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20250418-0006"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-20", "CWE-400", "CWE-787" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2024-09-19T16:06:03Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2024-09-19T01:15:10Z"
  }
}