# CVE-2024-38525: dd-trace-cpp malformed unicode header values may cause crash

> An attacker can cause a crash in the Datadog C++ tracing library by sending malformed unicode headers, leading to a denial of service.

- **Severity:** High 7.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/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:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 28 Jun 2024
- **Updated:** 2 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-rf3p-mg22-qv6w

## What is CVE-2024-38525?

CVE-2024-38525 is a high-severity denial of service vulnerability in DataDog dd-trace-cpp, published on 28 Jun 2024. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

dd-trace-cpp is the Datadog distributed tracing for C++. When the library fails to extract trace context due to malformed unicode, it logs the list of audited headers and their values using the `nlohmann` JSON library. However, due to the way the JSON library is invoked, it throws an uncaught exception, which results in a crash. This vulnerability has been patched in version 0.2.2.

Weakness: CWE-248 (Uncaught Exception), CWE-20 (Improper Input Validation)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2024-38525?


## How do I fix CVE-2024-38525?

No fix has been published for CVE-2024-38525 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2024-38525 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-38525 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2024-38525 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2024-38525 is a high-severity denial of service vulnerability in DataDog dd-trace-cpp, published on 28 Jun 2024. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-38525 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: DataDog dd-trace-cpp. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

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-2024-38525/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-38525/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-38525
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-38525
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2024-38525

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-38525/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.