GHSA-xhj4-g6w8-2xjw is a critical-severity (CVSS 9.8) remote code execution vulnerability in github.com/woven-planet/go-zserio. A fix is available for github.com/woven-planet/go-zserio — see the affected versions and patch details below.
go-zserio has Unbounded Memory Allocation for All Platforms
Real-World Exposure
github.com/woven-planet/go-zserioReal-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
When deserializing arrays, strings or bytes (blob) types zserio first reads the size of the variable, and then allocates sufficient memory to load data. Since the size is always trusted this can be abused by creating a data file with a large size value, causing the zserio runtime to allocate large amounts of memory.
Patches
Please apply this commit.
Workarounds
- Do not accept zserio data from non-trusted sources.
- Use secure transportation protocols (like TLS).
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐹Go | github.com/woven-planet/go-zserio | all versions | 0.9.1go get github.com/woven-planet/go-zserio@v0.9.1 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for github.com/woven-planet/go-zserio, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update github.com/woven-planet/go-zserio to 0.9.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-xhj4-g6w8-2xjw 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 Security's impact-aware SCA analyses which vulnerable code paths your application actually calls, so a match like GHSA-xhj4-g6w8-2xjw can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to GHSA-xhj4-g6w8-2xjw. 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-xhj4-g6w8-2xjw in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds GHSA-xhj4-g6w8-2xjw across Go dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.