CVE-2020-35872: Rusqlite Improper Type Usage Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-g4w7-3qr8-5623
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CVSS 9.8
CWE-351
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2020-35872 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) improper type usage vulnerability (CWE-351: Insufficient Type Distinction) affecting Rusqlite libraries in the crates.io ecosystem. The issue involves improper type usage in rusqlite. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 0.23.0.

CVE-2020-35872 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2020-35872
GHSA Identifier GHSA-g4w7-3qr8-5623
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
CWE Classification CWE-351: Insufficient Type Distinction
Affected Product Rusqlite
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-2020-35872

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

rusqlite fixed: 0.23.0 
Upgrade rusqlite to 0.23.0
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 rusqlite

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2020-35872, inspect your project dependencies for Rusqlite:

inspect dependencies for rusqlite

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Rusqlite in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 0.23.0), 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-351: Insufficient Type Distinction, where the product does not properly distinguish between different types of elements in a way that leads to insecure behavior. In Rusqlite, 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 rusqlite crate before 0.23.0 for Rust. Memory safety can be violated via the repr(Rust) type.

CVE-2020-35872 Affected Rusqlite Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
0.23.0
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
rusqlite
 crates.io
< 0.23.0
0.23.0

References

NVD — CVE-2020-35872 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-35872
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/rusqlite/rusqlite/commit/71b2f5187b0cbace3f8b6ff53432ff2ca0defcf0
Rusqlite Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/rusqlite/rusqlite
Rusqlite Release RELEASE
https://github.com/rusqlite/rusqlite/releases/tag/0.23.0
rustsec.org/advisories/rustsec-... WEB
https://rustsec.org/advisories/RUSTSEC-2020-0014.html

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-35872?
CVE-2020-35872 is a security vulnerability in Rusqlite involving Improper type usage in rusqlite under CWE-351: Insufficient Type Distinction.
Which Rusqlite versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 0.23.0 across affected packages: rusqlite.
What version fixes CVE-2020-35872?
Upgrading to 0.23.0 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is rusqlite affected?
Yes, rusqlite is affected in releases prior to 0.23.0. Upgrade your dependency to 0.23.0 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-35872?
CVE-2020-35872 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-2020-35872?
CVE-2020-35872 is classified under CWE-351: Insufficient Type Distinction (The product does not properly distinguish between different types of elements in a way that leads to insecure behavior.).
How can I check crates.io dependencies for CVE-2020-35872?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for rusqlite'. 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-g4w7-3qr8-5623",
  "modified" : "2021-08-19T21:18:44Z",
  "published" : "2021-08-25T20:47:01Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2020-35872" ],
  "summary" : "Improper type usage in rusqlite",
  "details" : "An issue was discovered in the rusqlite crate before 0.23.0 for Rust. Memory safety can be violated via the repr(Rust) type.",
  "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" : "rusqlite"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "0.23.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-35872"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/rusqlite/rusqlite/commit/71b2f5187b0cbace3f8b6ff53432ff2ca0defcf0"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/rusqlite/rusqlite"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/rusqlite/rusqlite/releases/tag/0.23.0"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://rustsec.org/advisories/RUSTSEC-2020-0014.html"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-351" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2021-08-19T21:18:44Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2020-12-31T10:15:00Z"
  }
}