libnftnl has Heap-based Buffer Overflow in nftnl::Batch::with_page_size (nftnl-rs)GHSA-2fjw-whxm-9v4q
Fix: mullvad/nftnl-rs@94a286fGHSA-2fjw-whxm-9v4q is a remote code execution vulnerability in nftnl. A fix is available for nftnl — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Real-World Exposure
nftnlReal-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
A heap-buffer-overflow vulnerability exists in the Rust wrapper for libnftnl, triggered via the nftnl::Batch::with_page_size constructor. When a small or malformed page size is provided, the underlying C code allocates an insufficient buffer, leading to out-of-bounds writes during batch initialization.
The flaw was fixed in commit 94a286f by adding an overflow check:
batch_page_size
.checked_add(crate::nft_nlmsg_maxsize())
.expect("batch_page_size is too large and would overflow");
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🦀crates.io | nftnl | all versions | 0.9.0cargo update -p nftnl --precise 0.9.0 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for nftnl, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update nftnl to 0.9.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-2fjw-whxm-9v4q 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 GHSA-2fjw-whxm-9v4q in your dependencies?
Find it across crates.io, including transitive dependencies.