CVE-2021-45680 — vec-const
CVE-2021-45680 is a Out-of-bounds Write vulnerability in vec-const. A fix is available for vec-const — see the affected versions and patch details below.
vec-const attempts to construct a Vec from a pointer to a const slice
EPSS Exploitation Probability
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.
Real-World Exposure
vec-constReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects crates.io packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
Affected versions of this crate claimed to construct a const Vec with nonzero length and capacity, but that cannot be done because such a Vec requires a pointer from an allocator.
The implementation was later changed to just construct a std::borrow::Cow.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🦀crates.io | vec-const | all versions | 2.0.0cargo update -p vec-const --precise 2.0.0 |
Affected Products
vec-constvec-const_projectDetection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for vec-const, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update vec-const to 2.0.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2021-45680 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
Constrain what reaches the vulnerable code: limit the size and shape of untrusted input, isolate the affected component in a sandboxed or least-privileged process, and enable the platform's memory-safety mitigations (ASLR, stack protector, hardened allocator) so an out-of-bounds access is more likely to fail closed than to be exploitable.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2021-45680 in your dependencies?
Find it across crates.io, including transitive dependencies.