futures_task::noop_waker_ref can segfault due to dereferencing a NULL pointerGHSA-p9m5-3hj7-cp5r
MEDIUMGHSA-p9m5-3hj7-cp5r is a medium-severity (CVSS 5.5) NULL Pointer Dereference vulnerability in futures-task. 1 public exploit or proof-of-concept reference is indexed, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for futures-task — see the affected versions and patch details below.
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
futures-taskReal-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
Affected versions of the crate used a UnsafeCell in thread-local storage to return a noop waker reference, assuming that the reference would never be returned from another thread.
This resulted in a segmentation fault crash if Waker::wake_by_ref() was called on a waker returned from another thread due to it attempting to dereference a pointer that wasn't accessible from the main thread.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🦀crates.io | futures-task | all versions | 0.3.5cargo update -p futures-task --precise 0.3.5 |
Affected Products
futures-taskrust-langResearch 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 futures-task, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update futures-task to 0.3.5 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-p9m5-3hj7-cp5r 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-p9m5-3hj7-cp5r in your dependencies?
Find it across crates.io, including transitive dependencies.