# CVE-2020-29244: dhowden tag panic due to out-of-bounds read

> A crafted audio file can cause a runtime panic in the dhowden tag library, leading to a denial of service for applications using it.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 28 Dec 2020
- **Updated:** 4 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-27mh-3343-6hg5

## What is CVE-2020-29244?

CVE-2020-29244 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in n/a, published on 28 Dec 2020. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

dhowden tag before 2020-11-19 allows "panic: runtime error: slice bounds out of range" via readTextWithDescrFrame.

Weakness: CWE-129 (Improper Validation of Array Index)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2020-29244?

2 open source packages ship an affected version, including github.com/dhowden/tag. It affects 1 product.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `github.com/dhowden/tag` | Go | All versions | 0.0.0-20201120070457-d52dcb253c63 |
| `github.com/dhowden/tag` | Go | All versions | 0.0.0-20201120070457-d52dcb253c63 |

Products: Tag Project Tag.

## How do I fix CVE-2020-29244?

Upgrade github.com/dhowden/tag to 0.0.0-20201120070457-d52dcb253c63 or later.

## Is CVE-2020-29244 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-29244 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in n/a

- [CVE-2020-29242](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-29242/): Denial of Service in dhowden/tag (medium 6.5)
- [CVE-2020-29243](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-29243/): dhowden tag panic due to out-of-bounds read (medium 6.5)
- [CVE-2020-29245](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-29245/): dhowden tag panic due to out-of-bounds read (medium 6.5)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2020-29244 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2020-29244 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in n/a, published on 28 Dec 2020. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-29244 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- github.com/dhowden/tag (Go): affected all versions; fixed in 0.0.0-20201120070457-d52dcb253c63
- github.com/dhowden/tag (Go): affected all versions; fixed in 0.0.0-20201120070457-d52dcb253c63

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-29244/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-29244/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-29244
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-29244
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2020-29244

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-29244/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.