`serde` deserialization for `FamStructWrapper` lacks bound checks that could potentially lead to out-of-bounds memory accessGHSA-875g-mfp6-g7f9
MEDIUMFix: rust-vmm/vmm-sys-util@30172fcGHSA-875g-mfp6-g7f9 is a medium-severity (CVSS 5.7) Out-of-bounds Write vulnerability in vmm-sys-util. A fix is available for vmm-sys-util — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation observed yet
- 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 GHSA-875g-mfp6-g7f9.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.
How urgent is this, really
Where this sits among everything scored
Real-World Exposure
vmm-sys-utilReal-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
vmm-sys-util is a collection of modules that provides helpers and utilities used by multiple rust-vmm components. Starting in version 0.5.0 and prior to version 0.12.0, an issue in the FamStructWrapper::deserialize implementation provided by the crate for vmm_sys_util::fam::FamStructWrapper can lead to out of bounds memory accesses. The deserialization does not check that the length stored in the header matches the flexible array length. Mismatch in the lengths might allow out of bounds memory access through Rust-safe methods. The issue was corrected in version 0.12.0 by inserting a check that verifies the lengths of compared flexible arrays are equal for any deserialized header and aborting deserialization otherwise. Moreover, the API was changed so that header length can only be modified through Rust-unsafe code. This ensures that users cannot trigger out-of-bounds memory access from Rust-safe code.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🦀crates.io | vmm-sys-util | ≥ 0.5.0&&< 0.12.0 | 0.12.0cargo update -p vmm-sys-util --precise 0.12.0 |
Affected Products
vmm-sys-utilrust-vmmDetection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for vmm-sys-util, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update vmm-sys-util to 0.12.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-875g-mfp6-g7f9 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
Stop feeding it untrusted input: reject or quarantine files and payloads from unverified sources until you can upgrade, restrict accepted formats to the ones you actually need, and run the parsing or decoding step in a least-privileged sandbox or short-lived worker so a crash or corrupted read cannot reach the rest of the process.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-875g-mfp6-g7f9 in your dependencies?
Find it across crates.io, including transitive dependencies.