CVE-2021-25907 in containers Crate
Summary
by MITRE • 01/26/2021
An issue was discovered in the containers crate before 0.9.11 for Rust. When a panic occurs, a util::{mutate,mutate2} double drop can be performed.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/20/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2021-25907 affects the Rust containers crate version 0.9.10 and earlier, representing a critical memory safety issue that stems from improper handling of panic conditions within the utility functions mutate and mutate2. This flaw manifests when a panic occurs during execution, leading to a double drop scenario that can result in undefined behavior and potential memory corruption. The containers crate serves as a foundational component for Rust applications requiring container data structures, making this vulnerability particularly concerning for systems relying on safe memory management practices inherent to the rust language.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the implementation of the mutate and mutate2 utility functions within the containers crate. When a panic is triggered during the execution of these functions, the normal drop semantics are violated, causing the same memory location to be dropped twice. This double drop operation violates fundamental memory safety principles and can lead to various security implications including information disclosure, denial of service, or potentially arbitrary code execution depending on the specific context where the vulnerability manifests. The issue specifically relates to the crate's handling of panic unwinding in concurrent or complex data structure manipulation scenarios.
The operational impact of CVE-2021-25907 extends beyond simple memory corruption as it represents a fundamental violation of Rust's memory safety guarantees. Applications using the affected containers crate version may experience unexpected crashes, data corruption, or unpredictable behavior when panic conditions occur during container operations. This vulnerability particularly affects systems where robust error handling and memory safety are critical, such as web servers, embedded systems, or any application that relies on container data structures for managing application state. The vulnerability can be exploited by malicious actors who craft inputs designed to trigger panic conditions, potentially leading to more severe consequences in systems with additional attack surface areas.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability primarily involve upgrading to containers crate version 0.9.11 or later, which includes proper handling of panic conditions to prevent the double drop scenario. System administrators and developers should conduct thorough testing of their applications after applying the upgrade to ensure no regressions in functionality. Additionally, implementing comprehensive monitoring and logging for panic conditions can help detect potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-459, which addresses incomplete cleanup issues in software, and can be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1059.001 for command and scripting interpreter, as exploitation may involve crafting inputs that trigger panic conditions. Organizations should also consider implementing automated dependency scanning tools to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities across their software supply chain.