BTreeMap memory leak when deallocating nodes with overflows
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Denial of service
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · None · High
- Fix status
- Fixed
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · NVD. Fix status from CNA and GitHub. Impact type from CWE-401.
Summary
When storing unbounded types in a BTreeMap, a node is represented as a linked list of "memory chunks". It was discovered recently that when we deallocate a node, in some cases only the first memory chunk is deallocated, and the rest of the memory chunks remain (incorrectly) allocated, causing a memory leak. In the worst case, depending on how a canister uses the BTreeMap, an adversary could interact with the canister through its API and trigger interactions with the map that keep consuming memory due to the memory leak. This could potentially lead to using an excessive amount of memory, or even running out of memory. This issue has been fixed in #212 https://github.com/dfinity/stable-structures/pull/212 by changing the logic for deallocating nodes to ensure that all of a node's memory chunks are deallocated and users are asked to upgrade to version 0.6.4.. Tests have been added to prevent regressions of this nature moving forward. Note: Users of stable-structure < 0.6.0 are not affected. Users who are not storing unbounded types in BTreeMap are not affected and do not need to upgrade. Otherwise, an upgrade to version 0.6.4 is necessary.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Partial
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Internet Computer | ic-stable-structures | 0.6.0 to before 0.6.4 | 0.6.4 | Patch available | CNA |
| — | ic-stable-structures (crates.io) | 0.6.0 to before 0.6.4 | 0.6.4 | Patch available | GHSA-3rcq-39xp-7xjp |
- ic-stable-structures VendorInternet Computer Affected 0.6.0 to before 0.6.4 Fixed in 0.6.4 Patch available CNA
- ic-stable-structures (crates.io) Vendor— Affected 0.6.0 to before 0.6.4 Fixed in 0.6.4 Patch available GHSA-3rcq-39xp-7xjp
CPE configurations NVD · 1
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:a:dfinity:stable_structures:*:*:*:*:*:rust:*:* | before 0.6.0 | Vulnerable | Internet Computer |
- cpe:2.3:a:dfinity:stable_structures:*:*:*:*:*:rust:*:* Versions before 0.6.0 Vulnerable ·Internet Computer
Remediation
- Fix · CNA ic-stable-structures (Internet Computer) Fixed in 0.6.4
- Fix · GHSA-3rcq-39xp-7xjp ic-stable-structures (crates.io) Fixed in 0.6.4 Advisory →
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2024-4435
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-3rcq-39xp-7xjp
References
Other 7
- https://docs.rs/ic-stable-structures/0.6.4/ic_stable_structures/
- https://internetcomputer.org/docs/current/developer-docs/smart-contracts/maintain/storage#stable-memory
- https://github.com/dfinity/stable-structures/security/advisories/GHSA-3rcq-39xp-7xjp
- https://github.com/dfinity/stable-structures/commit/4f6b8ae521884833498bae26369c353c10f28ea7
- https://docs.rs/ic-stable-structures/0.6.4/ic_stable_structures
- https://github.com/dfinity/stable-structures
- https://rustsec.org/advisories/RUSTSEC-2024-0406.html
Sources
- CVE-2024-4435 · CVE Program
- CVE-2024-4435 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-3rcq-39xp-7xjp · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
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