CVE-2021-28033: Byte struct Deserializing An Array Can Free Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-8fgg-5v78-6g76
Share
CVSS 9.8
CWE-119 CWE-908
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2021-28033 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) deserializing an array can free vulnerability (CWE-119: Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer) affecting Byte struct libraries in the crates.io ecosystem. The issue involves deserializing an array can free uninitialized memory in byte_struct. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 0.6.1.

CVE-2021-28033 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2021-28033
GHSA Identifier GHSA-8fgg-5v78-6g76
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
CWE Classification CWE-119: Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer
Affected Product Byte struct
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-2021-28033

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

byte_struct fixed: 0.6.1 
Upgrade byte_struct to 0.6.1
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 byte_struct

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2021-28033, inspect your project dependencies for Byte struct:

inspect dependencies for byte_struct

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Byte struct in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 0.6.1), 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-119: Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer, where the product performs operations on a memory buffer, but it reads from or writes to a memory location outside the buffer's intended boundary. this may result in read or write operations on unexpected memory locations that could be linked to other variables, data structures, or internal program data. In Byte struct, 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

Byte_struct stack and unpack structure as raw bytes with packed or bit field layout. An issue was discovered in the byte_struct crate before 0.6.1 for Rust. There can be a drop of uninitialized memory if a certain deserialization method panics.

CVE-2021-28033 Affected Byte struct Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
0.6.1
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
byte_struct
 crates.io
< 0.6.1
0.6.1

References

NVD — CVE-2021-28033 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-28033
Byte struct Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/wwylele/byte-struct-rs/issues/1
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/wwylele/byte-struct-rs/commit/a535678377de12bc6bc22620c5f59bcc1369f76f
Byte struct Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/wwylele/byte-struct-rs
rustsec.org/advisories/rustsec-... WEB
https://rustsec.org/advisories/RUSTSEC-2021-0032.html

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-28033?
CVE-2021-28033 is a security vulnerability in Byte struct involving Deserializing an array can free uninitialized memory in byte_struct under CWE-119: Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer.
Which Byte struct versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 0.6.1 across affected packages: byte_struct.
What version fixes CVE-2021-28033?
Upgrading to 0.6.1 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is byte_struct affected?
Yes, byte_struct is affected in releases prior to 0.6.1. Upgrade your dependency to 0.6.1 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-28033?
CVE-2021-28033 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-2021-28033?
CVE-2021-28033 is classified under CWE-119: Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer (The product performs operations on a memory buffer, but it reads from or writes to a memory location outside the buffer's intended boundary. This may result in read or write operations on unexpected memory locations that could be linked to other variables, data structures, or internal program data.).
How can I check crates.io dependencies for CVE-2021-28033?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for byte_struct'. 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-8fgg-5v78-6g76",
  "modified" : "2022-05-04T03:04:59Z",
  "published" : "2021-08-25T20:52:03Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2021-28033" ],
  "summary" : "Deserializing an array can free uninitialized memory in byte_struct",
  "details" : "Byte_struct stack and unpack structure as raw bytes with packed or bit field layout. An issue was discovered in the byte_struct crate before 0.6.1 for Rust. There can be a drop of uninitialized memory if a certain deserialization method panics.",
  "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" : "byte_struct"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "0.6.1"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-28033"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/wwylele/byte-struct-rs/issues/1"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/wwylele/byte-struct-rs/commit/a535678377de12bc6bc22620c5f59bcc1369f76f"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/wwylele/byte-struct-rs"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://rustsec.org/advisories/RUSTSEC-2021-0032.html"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-119", "CWE-908" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2021-08-19T17:25:30Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2021-03-05T09:15:00Z"
  }
}