GHSA-4mhv-8rh3-4ghw
DragonFly vulnerable to panics due to nil pointer dereference when using variables created alongside an error
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.
Blast Radius
github.com/dragonflyoss/dragonfly🐹d7y.io/dragonfly/v2Real-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
We found two instances in the DragonFly codebase where the first return value of a function is dereferenced even when the function returns an error (figures 9.1 and 9.2). This can result in a nil dereference, and cause code to panic. The codebase may contain additional instances of the bug.
request, err := source.NewRequestWithContext(ctx, parentReq.Url,
parentReq.UrlMeta.Header)
if err != nil {
log.Errorf("generate url [%v] request error: %v", request.URL, err)
span.RecordError(err)
return err
}
Eve is a malicious actor operating a peer machine. She sends a dfdaemonv1.DownRequest request to her peer Alice. Alice’s machine receives the request, resolves a nil variable in the server.Download method, and panics.
Patches
- Dragonfy v2.1.0 and above.
Workarounds
There are no effective workarounds, beyond upgrading.
References
A third party security audit was performed by Trail of Bits, you can see the full report.
If you have any questions or comments about this advisory, please email us at [email protected].
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐹Go | github.com/dragonflyoss/dragonfly | all versions | 2.1.0 |
| 🐹Go | d7y.io/dragonfly/v2 | all versions | 2.1.0 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for github.com/dragonflyoss/dragonfly. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.
Fix
Update github.com/dragonflyoss/dragonfly to 2.1.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-4mhv-8rh3-4ghw 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 pinpoints whether GHSA-4mhv-8rh3-4ghw is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.
Tailored to GHSA-4mhv-8rh3-4ghw. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-4mhv-8rh3-4ghw in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-4mhv-8rh3-4ghw across Go dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.