Integer Overflow/Infinite Loop in the http crateGHSA-x7vr-c387-8w57
HIGHGHSA-x7vr-c387-8w57 is a high-severity (CVSS 7.5) remote code execution vulnerability in http. A fix is available for http — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Real-World Exposure
httpReal-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
HeaderMap::reserve() used usize::next_power_of_two() to calculate the increased capacity. However, next_power_of_two() silently overflows to 0 if given a sufficiently large number in release mode.
If the map was not empty when the overflow happens, the library will invoke self.grow(0) and start infinite probing. This allows an attacker who controls the argument to reserve() to cause a potential denial of service (DoS).
The flaw was corrected in 0.1.20 release of http crate.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🦀crates.io | http | all versions | 0.1.20cargo update -p http --precise 0.1.20 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for http, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update http to 0.1.20 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-x7vr-c387-8w57 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-x7vr-c387-8w57 in your dependencies?
Find it across crates.io, including transitive dependencies.