CVE-2022-36078 is a high-severity (CVSS 8.8) CWE-789 vulnerability in github.com/gagliardetto/binary. 1 public exploit reference exists, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for github.com/gagliardetto/binary — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Slice Memory Allocation with Excessive Size Value in binary
Exploitation Status
Proof-of-concept exploit code exists
- CISA’s SSVC triage found public proof-of-concept exploit code for this CVE, though no confirmed active exploitation.
- A successful exploit gives an attacker total control of the affected component, not partial access.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2022-36078.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.
How urgent is this, really
CVE-2022-36078 plotted by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). The shaded corner — EPSS 50%+ and CVSS 7.0+ — is where this CVE doesn't sit, though severity or exploitability alone can still warrant action.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 378,156 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% band (highlighted). Real counts from FIRST.org, not a sample — log-scaled since the landscape is heavily right-skewed.
Real-World Exposure
github.com/gagliardetto/binaryReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Go packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
Impact
What kind of vulnerability is it? Who is impacted?
The vulnerability is a memory allocation vulnerability that can be exploited to allocate slices in memory with (arbitrary) excessive size value, which can either exhaust available memory or crash the whole program.
When using github.com/gagliardetto/binary to parse unchecked (or wrong type of) data from untrusted sources of input (e.g. the blockchain) into slices, it's possible to allocate memory with excessive size.
When dec.Decode(&val) method is used to parse data into a structure that is or contains slices of values, the length of the slice was previously read directly from the data itself without any checks on the size of it, and then a slice was allocated. This could lead to an overflow and an allocation of memory with excessive size value.
Example:
package main
import (
"github.com/gagliardetto/binary" // any version before v0.7.1 is vulnerable
"log"
)
type MyStruct struct {
Field1 []byte // field is a slice (could be a slice of any type)
}
func main() {
// Let's assume that the data is coming from the blockchain:
data := []byte{0x01, 0x02, 0x03, 0x04, 0x05, 0x06, 0x07, 0x08, 0x09, 0x0a, 0x0b, 0x0c, 0x0d, 0x0e, 0x0f, 0x10}
var val MyStruct
// - To determine the size of the val.Field1 slice, the decoder will read the length
// of the slice from the data itself without any checks on the size of it.
//
// - This could lead to an allocation of memory with excessive size value.
// Which means: []byte{0x01, 0x02, 0x03, 0x04} will be read as the length
// of the slice (= 67305985) and then an allocation of memory with 67305985 bytes will be made.
//
dec := binary.NewBorshDecoder(data)
err := dec.Decode(&val) // or binary.UnmarshalBorsh(&val, data) or binary.UnmarshalBin(&val, data) etc.
if err != nil {
log.Fatal(err)
}
}
Patches
Has the problem been patched? What versions should users upgrade to?
The vulnerability has been patched in github.com/gagliardetto/binary v0.7.1
Users should upgrade to v0.7.1 or higher.
To upgrade to v0.7.1 or higher, run:
go get github.com/gagliardetto/[email protected]
# or
go get github.com/gagliardetto/binary@latest
Workarounds
Is there a way for users to fix or remediate the vulnerability without upgrading?
A workaround is not to rely on the dec.Decode(&val) function to parse the data, but to use a custom UnmarshalWithDecoder() method that reads and checks the length of any slice.
References
Are there any links users can visit to find out more?
For more information
If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:
- Open an issue in github.com/gagliardetto/binary
- DM me on twitter
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐹Go | github.com/gagliardetto/binary | all versions | 0.7.1go get github.com/gagliardetto/binary@v0.7.1 |
Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for github.com/gagliardetto/binary, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update github.com/gagliardetto/binary to 0.7.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2022-36078 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 Security's impact-aware SCA analyses which vulnerable code paths your application actually calls, so a match like CVE-2022-36078 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to CVE-2022-36078. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2022-36078 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds CVE-2022-36078 across Go dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.