CVE-2024-43806

CVE-2024-43806 is a medium-severity vulnerability with a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.5. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-400.

Key facts

Description

Rustix is a set of safe Rust bindings to POSIX-ish APIs. When using `rustix::fs::Dir` using the `linux_raw` backend, it's possible for the iterator to "get stuck" when an IO error is encountered. Combined with a memory over-allocation issue in `rustix::fs::Dir::read_more`, this can cause quick and unbounded memory explosion (gigabytes in a few seconds if used on a hot path) and eventually lead to an OOM crash of the application. The symptoms were initially discovered in https://github.com/imsnif/bandwhich/issues/284. That post has lots of details of our investigation. Full details can be read on the GHSA-c827-hfw6-qwvm repo advisory. If a program tries to access a directory with its file descriptor after the file has been unlinked (or any other action that leaves the `Dir` iterator in the stuck state), and the implementation does not break after seeing an error, it can cause a memory explosion. As an example, Linux's various virtual file systems (e.g. `/proc`, `/sys`) can contain directories that spontaneously pop in and out of existence. Attempting to iterate over them using `rustix::fs::Dir` directly or indirectly (e.g. with the `procfs` crate) can trigger this fault condition if the implementation decides to continue on errors. An attacker knowledgeable about the implementation details of a vulnerable target can therefore try to trigger this fault condition via any one or a combination of several available APIs. If successful, the application host will quickly run out of memory, after which the application will likely be terminated by an OOM killer, leading to denial of service. This issue has been addressed in release versions 0.35.15, 0.36.16, 0.37.25, and 0.38.19. Users are advised to upgrade. There are no known workarounds for this issue.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2024-43806?
Rustix is a set of safe Rust bindings to POSIX-ish APIs. When using `rustix::fs::Dir` using the `linux_raw` backend, it's possible for the iterator to "get stuck" when an IO error is encountered. Combined with a memory over-allocation issue in `rustix::fs::Dir::read_more`, this can cause quick and unbounded memory explosion (gigabytes in a few seconds if used on a hot path) and eventually lead to an OOM crash of the application. The symptoms were initially discovered in https://github.com/imsnif/bandwhich/issues/284. That post has lots of details of our investigation. Full details can be read on the GHSA-c827-hfw6-qwvm repo advisory. If a program tries to access a directory with its file descriptor after the file has been unlinked (or any other action that leaves the `Dir` iterator in the stuck state), and the implementation does not break after seeing an error, it can cause a memory explosion. As an example, Linux's various virtual file systems (e.g. `/proc`, `/sys`) can contain directories that spontaneously pop in and out of existence. Attempting to iterate over them using `rustix::fs::Dir` directly or indirectly (e.g. with the `procfs` crate) can trigger this fault condition if the implementation decides to continue on errors. An attacker knowledgeable about the implementation details of a vulnerable target can therefore try to trigger this fault condition via any one or a combination of several available APIs. If successful, the application host will quickly run out of memory, after which the application will likely be terminated by an OOM killer, leading to denial of service. This issue has been addressed in release versions 0.35.15, 0.36.16, 0.37.25, and 0.38.19. Users are advised to upgrade. There are no known workarounds for this issue.
How severe is CVE-2024-43806?
CVE-2024-43806 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.5, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.
Is CVE-2024-43806 being actively exploited?
It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (38th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
How do I fix CVE-2024-43806?
Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
Does CVE-2024-43806 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?
Yes. CVE-2024-43806 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2023-2715.
When was CVE-2024-43806 published?
CVE-2024-43806 was published on 2024-08-26 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

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