# GHSA-g6pw-999w-j75m: ELF header parsing library doesn't check for valid offset

> A Rust library for parsing ELF files fails to validate section header offsets, allowing attackers to cause crashes via malformed input.

- **Severity:** Not scored
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Not stated
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 31 Oct 2022
- **Also known as:** RUSTSEC-2022-0079

## What is GHSA-g6pw-999w-j75m?

GHSA-g6pw-999w-j75m is a memory corruption vulnerability in elf_rs, published on 31 Oct 2022. 

### Official description

The crate has several unsafe sections that don't perform proper pointer validation.

An example can be found in the following function:

```
fn section_header_raw(&self) -> &[ET::SectionHeader] {
    let sh_off = self.elf_header().section_header_offset() as usize;
    let sh_num = self.elf_header().section_header_entry_num() as usize;
    unsafe {
        let sh_ptr = self.content().as_ptr().add(sh_off);
        from_raw_parts(sh_ptr as *const ET::SectionHeader, sh_num)
    }
}
```

While this will work perfectly fine *if* the ELF header is valid, malicious or malformed input can contain a section header offset of an arbitrary size, meaning that the resultant pointer in the unsafe block can point to an artibrary address in the address space of the process.

This can result in unpredictable behaviour, and in our fuzz testing, we discovered that it's trivial to cause SIGABRT (signal 6), or SEGV (signal 11).

The function should either be marked as unsafe, with a note that the caller is responsible for providing only valid inputs, or it should ideally do the due diligence to ensure that the offset doesn't exceed the bounds of the header (and add additional checks as necessary).

## Which versions are affected by GHSA-g6pw-999w-j75m?

3 open source packages ship an affected version, including elf_rs.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `elf_rs` | crates.io | All versions | 0.3.0 |
| `elf_rs` | crates.io | All versions | 0.3.0 |
| `elf_rs` | crates.io | From 0.0.0-0 | 0.3.0 |

## How do I fix GHSA-g6pw-999w-j75m?

Upgrade elf_rs to 0.3.0 or later.

## Is GHSA-g6pw-999w-j75m being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of GHSA-g6pw-999w-j75m in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for GHSA-g6pw-999w-j75m and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: GHSA-g6pw-999w-j75m is a memory corruption vulnerability in elf_rs, published on 31 Oct 2022. 
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of GHSA-g6pw-999w-j75m in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- elf_rs (crates.io): affected all versions; fixed in 0.3.0
- elf_rs (crates.io): affected all versions; fixed in 0.3.0
- elf_rs (crates.io): affected from 0.0.0-0; fixed in 0.3.0

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/GHSA-g6pw-999w-j75m/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/GHSA-g6pw-999w-j75m/index.md)
```

## Sources

- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/GHSA-g6pw-999w-j75m

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/GHSA-g6pw-999w-j75m/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.