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CVE-2024-7254 — protobuf-java

Fix: protocolbuffers/protobuf@cc8b348

CVE-2024-7254 is a Uncontrolled Resource Consumption vulnerability in com.google.protobuf:protobuf-java. A fix is available for com.google.protobuf:protobuf-java — see the affected versions and patch details below.

Stack overflow in Protocol Buffers Java Lite

Also known asGHSA-735f-pc8j-v9w8
Published
Sep 19, 2024
Updated
Aug 12, 2026
Affected
15 pkgs
Patched
15 / 15
Exploits
None indexed
Exploitation data as of Sep 22, 2026 · OSV.dev, NVD, FIRST.org (EPSS)

Exploitation Status

No confirmed exploitation observed yet

  • CISA assesses this as automatable — exploitation doesn’t require manual, per-target effort, which raises the odds of mass scanning and opportunistic attacks.
  • CISA’s own triage has not observed active exploitation or public proof-of-concept code for this CVE as of its last assessment.

Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2024-7254.

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗
2.8%probability of exploitation in next 30 days
Lower Risk0.00%
Lower risk than most CVEs86th percentile — riskier than 86% of all scored CVEsHighest risk

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.

Real-World Exposure

15 pkgs affected
☕com.google.protobuf:protobuf-java☕com.google.protobuf:protobuf-javalite☕com.google.protobuf:protobuf-kotlin☕com.google.protobuf:protobuf-kotlin-lite☕com.google.protobuf:protobuf-kotlin-lite☕com.google.protobuf:protobuf-kotlin-lite☕com.google.protobuf:protobuf-kotlin☕com.google.protobuf:protobuf-kotlin+7 more

Real-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Maven packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.

Description

Summary

When parsing unknown fields in the Protobuf Java Lite and Full library, a maliciously crafted message can cause a StackOverflow error and lead to a program crash.

Reporter: Alexis Challande, Trail of Bits Ecosystem Security Team [email protected]

Affected versions: This issue affects all versions of both the Java full and lite Protobuf runtimes, as well as Protobuf for Kotlin and JRuby, which themselves use the Java Protobuf runtime.

Severity

CVE-2024-7254 High CVSS4.0 Score 8.7 (NOTE: there may be a delay in publication) This is a potential Denial of Service. Parsing nested groups as unknown fields with DiscardUnknownFieldsParser or Java Protobuf Lite parser, or against Protobuf map fields, creates unbounded recursions that can be abused by an attacker.

Proof of Concept

For reproduction details, please refer to the unit tests (Protobuf Java LiteTest and CodedInputStreamTest) that identify the specific inputs that exercise this parsing weakness.

Remediation and Mitigation

We have been working diligently to address this issue and have released a mitigation that is available now. Please update to the latest available versions of the following packages:

  • protobuf-java (3.25.5, 4.27.5, 4.28.2)
  • protobuf-javalite (3.25.5, 4.27.5, 4.28.2)
  • protobuf-kotlin (3.25.5, 4.27.5, 4.28.2)
  • protobuf-kotlin-lite (3.25.5, 4.27.5, 4.28.2)
  • com-protobuf [JRuby gem only] (3.25.5, 4.27.5, 4.28.2)

Affected Packages

15 total 15 fixed
EcosystemPackageVulnerable rangeFix
☕Mavencom.google.protobuf:protobuf-javaall versions3.25.5com.google.protobuf:protobuf-java:3.25.5
☕Mavencom.google.protobuf:protobuf-javaliteall versions3.25.5com.google.protobuf:protobuf-javalite:3.25.5
☕Mavencom.google.protobuf:protobuf-kotlinall versions3.25.5com.google.protobuf:protobuf-kotlin:3.25.5
☕Mavencom.google.protobuf:protobuf-kotlin-liteall versions3.25.5com.google.protobuf:protobuf-kotlin-lite:3.25.5
☕Mavencom.google.protobuf:protobuf-kotlin-lite≥ 4.0.0-RC1&&< 4.27.54.27.5com.google.protobuf:protobuf-kotlin-lite:4.27.5
☕Mavencom.google.protobuf:protobuf-kotlin-lite≥ 4.28.0-RC1&&< 4.28.24.28.2com.google.protobuf:protobuf-kotlin-lite:4.28.2

Detection & mitigation playbook

Open-source dependency

  1. Detect

    Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for com.google.protobuf:protobuf-java, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.

  2. Fix

    Update com.google.protobuf:protobuf-java to 3.25.5 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2024-7254 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.

  3. 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.

  4. How O3 protects you

    O3 Security's impact-aware SCA analyses which vulnerable code paths your application actually calls, so a match like CVE-2024-7254 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.

Tailored to CVE-2024-7254. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.

Fixing This On Your OS

If you run this on a Linux distribution, patch through your package manager against the distro's own security advisory below — it tracks the exact backported fix for your release, which can ship on a different timeline (and sometimes a different severity) than the upstream project.

Red HatImportant

This issue represents a significant severity risk because unbounded recursion in Protocol Buffers parsing can be exploited to trigger stack overflows, leading to Denial of Service (DoS). When parsers, such as `DiscardUnknownFieldsParser` or the Java Protobuf Lite parser, encounter arbitrarily nested groups or deeply…

ProductFixed inAdvisory
Red Hat build of Apache Camel 4.4.3 for Spring Bootsee advisoryRHSA-2024:8064
Red Hat build of Apache Camel 4.8 for Spring Bootsee advisoryRHSA-2024:10700
Red Hat build of Apache Camel 4 for Quarkus 3protobuf-javaRHSA-2024:7972
Red Hat build of Quarkus 3.2com.google.protobuf/protobufRHSA-2024:7676
Red Hat build of Quarkus 3.8com.google.protobuf/protobufRHSA-2024:7670
Red Hat JBoss EAP XP 5.0 Update 2.0see advisoryRHSA-2025:7620
Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform 7.4.24org.infinispan.protostream/protostream:4.3.7.Final-redhat-00001RHSA-2025:20057
Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform 7.4 ELS on RHEL 7eap7-protostream-0:4.3.7-1.Final_redhat_00001.1.el7eapRHSA-2025:20052
Ubuntu
USN-7435-1UbuntuUSN-7629-1UbuntuUSN-7629-2Ubuntu

Frequently Asked Questions

### Summary When parsing unknown fields in the Protobuf Java Lite and Full library, a maliciously crafted message can cause a StackOverflow error and lead to a program crash. Reporter: Alexis Challande, Trail of Bits Ecosystem Security Team <[email protected]> Affected versions: This issue affects all versions of both the Java full and lite Protobuf runtimes, as well as Protobuf for Kotlin and JRuby, which themselves use the Java Protobuf runtime. ### Severity [CVE-2024-7254](https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2024-7254) **High** CVSS4.0 Score 8.7 (NOTE: there may be
O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA

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CVE-2024-7254: protobuf-java DoS | O3 Security