ic-stable-structures vulnerable to BTreeMap memory leak when deallocating nodes with overflows

Description

Impact

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 by changing the logic for deallocating nodes to ensure that all of a node's memory chunks are deallocated. Tests have been added to prevent regressions of this nature moving forward.

Note: Users of stable-structure < 0.6.0 are not affected.

Patches

The problem has been fixed in PR #212 and users are asked to upgrade to version 0.6.4.

Workarounds

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.

Basic information

Type
reviewed
Severity
medium
Advisory on GitHub
Open advisory ↗
Repository advisory
Open repository advisory ↗
Source code
Browse source ↗
Published (advisory)
2024-05-21 14:49:48 UTC
Updated
2025-12-10 18:45:25 UTC
GitHub reviewed
2024-05-21 14:49:48 UTC
NVD published
2024-05-21

EPSS Score

Score Percentile
0.21% 43.31%

CVSS Scores

Base score Version Severity Vector
5.9 3.1
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:H)
Even with access, the exploit needs extra luck, timing, or a fussy environment to actually work.
Privileges required (PR:N)
No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:N)
Doesn’t really leak secrets in a meaningful way.
Integrity (I:N)
Data isn’t meaningfully altered or forged.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.

Identifiers

CWEs

CWE id Name
CWE-401 Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime

Credits

  • ielashi (remediation_developer)

Affected packages (1)

Vulnerable version ranges and first patched releases as published by GitHub.

Ecosystem Package Vulnerable range First patched Vulnerable functions
rust ic-stable-structures >= 0.6.0, < 0.6.4 0.6.4

References

cvelogic Threat Intelligence