CVE-2023-24535: Google.golang.org/protobuf Denial of Service Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-hw7c-3rfg-p46j
Share
CVSS 7.5
CWE-125
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2023-24535 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) denial of service vulnerability (CWE-125: Out-of-bounds Read) affecting Google.golang.org/protobuf libraries in the Go ecosystem. The issue involves google.golang.org/protobuf vulnerable to panic leading to denial of service. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.29.1.

CVE-2023-24535 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2023-24535
GHSA Identifier GHSA-hw7c-3rfg-p46j
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.5
CWE Classification CWE-125: Out-of-bounds Read
Affected Product Google.golang.org/protobuf
Package Ecosystem Go
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-2023-24535

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

google.golang.org/protobuf fixed: 1.29.1 
Upgrade google.golang.org/protobuf to 1.29.1
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 google.golang.org/protobuf

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2023-24535, inspect your project dependencies for Google.golang.org/protobuf:

inspect dependencies for google.golang.org/protobuf

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Google.golang.org/protobuf in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 1.29.1), 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-125: Out-of-bounds Read, where the product reads data past the end, or before the beginning, of the intended buffer. In Google.golang.org/protobuf, 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

Parsing invalid messages can panic. Parsing a text-format message which contains a potential number consisting of a minus sign, one or more characters of whitespace, and no further input will cause a panic.

CVE-2023-24535 Affected Google.golang.org/protobuf Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.29.1
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
google.golang.org/protobuf
golang/google.golang.org/protobuf
Go
≥ 1.29.0
< 1.29.1
1.29.1

References

NVD — CVE-2023-24535 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-24535
Google.golang.org/protobuf Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/golang/protobuf/issues/1530
Google.golang.org/protobuf Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/golang/protobuf
go.dev/cl/475995 WEB
https://go.dev/cl/475995
pkg.go.dev/vuln/go-2023-1631 WEB
https://pkg.go.dev/vuln/GO-2023-1631

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-24535?
CVE-2023-24535 is a security vulnerability in Google.golang.org/protobuf involving google.golang.org/protobuf vulnerable to panic leading to denial of service under CWE-125: Out-of-bounds Read.
Which Google.golang.org/protobuf versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.29.1 across affected packages: google.golang.org/protobuf.
What version fixes CVE-2023-24535?
Upgrading to 1.29.1 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is google.golang.org/protobuf affected?
Yes, google.golang.org/protobuf is affected in releases prior to 1.29.1. Upgrade your dependency to 1.29.1 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2023-24535?
CVE-2023-24535 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-2023-24535?
CVE-2023-24535 is classified under CWE-125: Out-of-bounds Read (The product reads data past the end, or before the beginning, of the intended buffer.).
How can I check Go dependencies for CVE-2023-24535?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for google.golang.org/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-hw7c-3rfg-p46j",
  "modified" : "2024-05-20T21:49:39Z",
  "published" : "2023-03-14T23:01:50Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2023-24535" ],
  "summary" : "google.golang.org/protobuf vulnerable to panic leading to denial of service",
  "details" : "Parsing invalid messages can panic.\n\nParsing a text-format message which contains a potential number consisting of a minus sign, one or more characters of whitespace, and no further input will cause a panic.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Go",
      "name" : "google.golang.org/protobuf"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "1.29.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.29.1"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-24535"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/golang/protobuf/issues/1530"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/golang/protobuf"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://go.dev/cl/475995"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://pkg.go.dev/vuln/GO-2023-1631"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-125" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-03-14T23:01:50Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2023-06-08T21:15:16Z"
  }
}