GHSA-969w-q74q-9j8v: Secp256k1 Unsound API Vulnerability

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Advisory Summary

GHSA-969w-q74q-9j8v is a MODERATE unsound api vulnerability (General Security Weakness) affecting Secp256k1 libraries in the crates.io ecosystem. The issue involves unsound api in `secp256k1` allows use-after-free and invalid deallocation from safe code. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 0.22.2, 0.23.5, 0.24.2.

GHSA-969w-q74q-9j8v at a Glance

CVE Identifier N/A
GHSA Identifier GHSA-969w-q74q-9j8v
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score N/A
CWE Classification General Security Weakness
Affected Product Secp256k1
Package Ecosystem crates.io
Published Date
Last Updated

How to Fix GHSA-969w-q74q-9j8v

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Secp256k1 dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

secp256k1 fixed: 0.22.2 
Upgrade secp256k1 to 0.22.2
secp256k1 fixed: 0.23.5 
Upgrade secp256k1 to 0.23.5
secp256k1 fixed: 0.24.2 
Upgrade secp256k1 to 0.24.2
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 secp256k1

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by GHSA-969w-q74q-9j8v, inspect your project dependencies for Secp256k1:

inspect dependencies for secp256k1

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Secp256k1 in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 0.22.2), 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 General Security Weakness. In Secp256k1, 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

Because of incorrect bounds on method `Secp256k1::preallocated_gen_new` it was possible to cause use-after-free from safe consumer code. It was also possible to "free" memory not allocated by the appropriate allocator. The method takes a place for storing the context as a mutable reference and returns context containing that reference. Because the code internally uses `unsafe` and the bounds were incorrect it was possible to create a context that outlived the passed reference (e.g. `'static`). Because the context can alternatively carry heap-allocated pointer freed on drop it was possible to "deallocate" a pointer that wasn't returned from appropriate allocator. The code decides whether to free the memory based on type parameter but because of missing bound it was possible to construct the context with invalid parameter. You are unaffected if you either * don't call `Secp256k1::preallocated_gen_new` * manually checked that your usage of the method is sound * upgraded to the patched version of `secp256k1` (recommended) The patched version uses correct bounds which means it is API-breaking. This effectively means adopting the policy of Rust lang itself allowing API-breaking changes to fix soundness bugs. Note however that valid straigthforward usage of the code will continue to compile. Only unsound code or code that propagates the bound in custom generics will fail to compile. If the code is sound fixing the bounds should be sufficient to make the code compile. See the [GitHub issue](https://github.com/rust-bitcoin/rust-secp256k1/issues/543) for example "exploit" code and further discussion.

GHSA-969w-q74q-9j8v Affected Secp256k1 Versions

3 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
0.22.20.23.50.24.2
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
secp256k1
 crates.io
≥ 0.14.0
< 0.22.2
0.22.2
secp256k1
 crates.io
≥ 0.23.0
< 0.23.5
0.23.5
secp256k1
 crates.io
≥ 0.24.0
< 0.24.2
0.24.2

References

Secp256k1 Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/rust-bitcoin/rust-secp256k1/issues/543
Secp256k1 Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/rust-bitcoin/rust-secp256k1
rustsec.org/advisories/rustsec-... WEB
https://rustsec.org/advisories/RUSTSEC-2022-0070.html

Frequently Asked Questions

What is GHSA-969w-q74q-9j8v?
GHSA-969w-q74q-9j8v is a security vulnerability in Secp256k1 involving Unsound API in `secp256k1` allows use-after-free and invalid deallocation from safe code under General Security Weakness.
Which Secp256k1 versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 0.22.2, 0.23.5, 0.24.2 across affected packages: secp256k1.
What version fixes GHSA-969w-q74q-9j8v?
Upgrading to 0.22.2, 0.23.5, 0.24.2 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is secp256k1 affected?
Yes, secp256k1 is affected in releases prior to 0.22.2, 0.23.5, 0.24.2. Upgrade your dependency to 0.22.2, 0.23.5, 0.24.2 or later.
What CWE is associated with GHSA-969w-q74q-9j8v?
GHSA-969w-q74q-9j8v is classified under General Security Weakness.
How can I check crates.io dependencies for GHSA-969w-q74q-9j8v?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for secp256k1'. 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-969w-q74q-9j8v",
  "modified" : "2022-12-08T16:00:29Z",
  "published" : "2022-12-08T16:00:29Z",
  "aliases" : [ ],
  "summary" : "Unsound API in `secp256k1` allows use-after-free and invalid deallocation from safe code",
  "details" : "Because of incorrect bounds on method `Secp256k1::preallocated_gen_new` it was possible to cause use-after-free from safe consumer code. It was also possible to \"free\" memory not allocated by the appropriate allocator.\n\nThe method takes a place for storing the context as a mutable reference and returns context containing that reference. Because the code internally uses `unsafe` and the bounds were incorrect it was possible to create a context that outlived the passed reference (e.g. `'static`). Because the context can alternatively carry heap-allocated pointer freed on drop it was possible to \"deallocate\" a pointer that wasn't returned from appropriate allocator. The code decides whether to free the memory based on type parameter but because of missing bound it was possible to construct the context with invalid parameter.\n\nYou are unaffected if you either\n\n* don't call `Secp256k1::preallocated_gen_new`\n* manually checked that your usage of the method is sound\n* upgraded to the patched version of `secp256k1` (recommended)\n\nThe patched version uses correct bounds which means it is API-breaking. This effectively means adopting the policy of Rust lang itself allowing API-breaking changes to fix soundness bugs. Note however that valid straigthforward usage of the code will continue to compile. Only unsound code or code that propagates the bound in custom generics will fail to compile. If the code is sound fixing the bounds should be sufficient to make the code compile.\n\nSee the [GitHub issue](https://github.com/rust-bitcoin/rust-secp256k1/issues/543) for example \"exploit\" code and further discussion.\n",
  "severity" : [ ],
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    "type" : "WEB",
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  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-12-08T16:00:29Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}