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GO-2023-1702 BIT-golang-2023-24537 CVE-2023-24537

Infinite loop in parsing in go/scanner

High Go
Severity
7.5 / 10
High · CVSS 3.1
Exploit chance (EPSS)
1.41%
Chance of exploitation in the next 30 days. Higher than 72.70% of scored vulnerabilities.
Known exploited
No
Not in CISA's catalog
Weakness
CWE-190 Integer Overflow or Wraparound
Fix
1.20.3
Upgrade stdlib to this version or later

Description

Calling any of the Parse functions on Go source code which contains //line directives with very large line numbers can cause an infinite loop due to integer overflow.

Affected versions

Go

PackageVulnerableFixed in
stdlib
< 1.19.8
>= 1.20.0-0, < 1.20.3
1.19.8
1.20.3

How to fix

Move to the fixed version or later with your package manager, update the lockfile, and run your tests. If the package only arrives through another dependency, upgrade that dependency first. If none of its releases pulls a fixed version yet, force the version with your package manager's override.

stdlib Go → 1.20.3

go
go get stdlib@v1.20.3 && go mod tidy

Severity breakdown

CVSS 3.1 7.5

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

Weakness

CWE-190: Integer Overflow or Wraparound

The product performs a calculation that can produce an integer overflow or wraparound when the logic assumes that the resulting value will always be larger than the original value. This occurs when an integer value is incremented to a value that is too large to store in the associated representation. When this occurs, the value may become a very small or negative number.

How to prevent it
  • Requirements: Ensure that all protocols are strictly defined, such that all out-of-bounds behavior can be identified simply, and require strict conformance to the protocol.
  • Requirements: Use a language that does not allow this weakness to occur or provides constructs that make this weakness easier to avoid. If possible, choose a language or compiler that performs automatic bounds checking.
  • Architecture and Design: Use a vetted library or framework that does not allow this weakness to occur or provides constructs that make this weakness easier to avoid [REF-1482]. Use libraries or frameworks that make it easier to handle numbers without unexpected consequences. Examples include safe integer handling packages such as SafeInt (C++) or IntegerLib (C or C++). [REF-106]
  • Implementation: Perform input validation on any numeric input by ensuring that it is within the expected range. Enforce that the input meets both the minimum and maximum requirements for the expected range. Use unsigned integers where possible. This makes it easier to perform validation for integer overflows. When signed integers are required, ensure that the range check includes minimum values as well as maximum values.
  • Implementation: Understand the programming language's underlying representation and how it interacts with numeric calculation (CWE-681). Pay close attention to byte size discrepancies, precision, signed/unsigned distinctions, truncation, conversion and casting between types, "not-a-number" calculations, and how the language handles numbers that are too large or too small for its underlying representation. [REF-7] Also be careful to account for 32-bit, 64-bit, and other potential differences that may affect the numeric representation.
  • Architecture and Design: For any security checks that are performed on the client side, ensure that these checks are duplicated on the server side, in order to avoid CWE-602. Attackers can bypass the client-side checks by modifying values after the checks have been performed, or by changing the client to remove the client-side checks entirely. Then, these modified values would be submitted to the server.
  • Implementation: Examine compiler warnings closely and eliminate problems with potential security implications, such as signed / unsigned mismatch in memory operations, or use of uninitialized variables. Even if the weakness is rarely exploitable, a single failure may lead to the compromise of the entire system.

References

Timeline

  1. Published
  2. Last updated by the source
  3. Latest EPSS score
AdvisorySeverityWhy it's related
GHSA-4374-p667-p6c8
HTTP/2 rapid reset can cause excessive work in net/http
High Known exploited Also affects stdlib
CVE-2020-0601
Certificate validation bypass on Windows in crypto/x509
High Known exploited Also affects stdlib
RUSTSEC-2026-0382
Distrust compromised intermediate certificates in crypto/x509
Medium Also affects stdlib
GO-2026-6613
HTTP/1 server connection desynchronization after 2xx CONNECT response in net/http
High Also affects stdlib
GO-2026-6609
Lack of limit on size of parsed Range headers in net/http
High Also affects stdlib
GO-2026-6608
Memory limit bypass when parsing MIME headers in net/textproto, mime/multipart
High Also affects stdlib
GO-2026-6607
Reject malformed ECH outer extension references in crypto/tls
High Also affects stdlib
GO-2026-6604
Root.Mkdir(All) can follow junctions out of the root on Windows in os
Critical Also affects stdlib

Credits: Philippe Antoine (Catena cyber)

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