# CVE-2024-53984: Nanopb does not release memory on error return when using PB_DECODE_DELIMITED

> Attackers can cause memory leaks and denial of service in Nanopb by exploiting specific decoding conditions with custom stream callbacks.

- **Severity:** Medium 4.3 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 2 Dec 2024
- **Updated:** 2 Dec 2024
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2024-53984, GHSA-xwqq-qxmw-hj5r, UBUNTU-CVE-2024-53984, openSUSE-SU-2024:0400-1

## What is CVE-2024-53984?

CVE-2024-53984 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in nanopb, published on 2 Dec 2024. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Nanopb is a small code-size Protocol Buffers implementation.  When the compile time option PB_ENABLE_MALLOC is enabled, the message contains at least one field with FT_POINTER field type, custom stream callback is used with unknown stream length. and the pb_decode_ex() function is used with flag PB_DECODE_DELIMITED, then the pb_decode_ex() function does not automatically call pb_release(), like is done for other failure cases. This could lead to memory leak and potential denial-of-service. This vulnerability is fixed in 0.4.9.1.

Weakness: CWE-755 (Improper Handling of Exceptional Conditions), CWE-401 (Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2024-53984?


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `nanopb` | SUSE:Package Hub 15 SP6 | All versions | 0.4.6-bp156.4.3.1 |
| `nanopb` | openSUSE:Leap 15.6 | All versions | 0.4.6-bp156.4.3.1 |

## How do I fix CVE-2024-53984?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2024-53984 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-53984 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2024-53984 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2024-53984 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in nanopb, published on 2 Dec 2024. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-53984 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: nanopb. 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-2024-53984/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-53984/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-53984
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-53984
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2024-53984

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-53984/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.