RUSTSEC-2026-0233 Crafted archives can cause a use-after-free during deserialization
A crafted archive can trigger a use-after-free during deserialization, potentially allowing code execution or denial of service.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Over the internet
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is RUSTSEC-2026-0233?
RUSTSEC-2026-0233 is an use after free vulnerability in rkyv, published on 11 May 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Official description
Insufficient archive range validation could allow a crafted archive to reach
ArchivedString::deserialize with an invalid pointer. A reported reproducer
used rkyv::from_bytes to deserialize a struct containing strings, a vector,
a box, and an optional hash map. AddressSanitizer detected a heap use-after-free
during string deserialization.
The flaw could be triggered through the safe checked deserialization API when processing malicious archive bytes. Version 0.8.17 rejects the malformed archive during validation. Users who process untrusted archives should upgrade to 0.8.17 or later.
Which versions are affected by RUSTSEC-2026-0233?
1 open source package ship an affected version, including rkyv.
| Package | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
rkyv crates.io | From 0.8.0-rc.1 | 0.8.17 |
How do I fix RUSTSEC-2026-0233?
Upgrade rkyv to 0.8.17 or later.
Upgrade to the fixed version. These bugs are found with fuzzing and sanitisers and avoided by memory-safe languages. More about Use after free.
Is RUSTSEC-2026-0233 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of RUSTSEC-2026-0233 in the wild and no public exploit code.