CVE-2023-30637 in Braft
Summary
by MITRE • 04/14/2023
Baidu braft 1.1.2 has a memory leak related to use of the new operator in example/atomic/atomic_server. NOTE: installations with brpc-0.14.0 and later are unaffected.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/24/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-30637 affects Baidu braft version 1.1.2 and specifically targets a memory leak condition within the example/atomic/atomic_server component. This issue arises from improper memory management practices during the allocation and deallocation of memory resources. The flaw manifests when the new operator is utilized within the atomic server example, creating a scenario where allocated memory blocks are not properly released back to the system. Such memory leaks can accumulate over time and lead to degraded system performance or complete system exhaustion of available memory resources. The vulnerability is particularly concerning in production environments where long-running processes are common, as the memory consumption will continue to grow until the system becomes unstable or crashes.
The technical root cause of this memory leak stems from improper resource management within the atomic server implementation. When the new operator is invoked to allocate memory for objects within the example application, the corresponding delete or deallocate operations are either missing or not executed under certain code paths. This pattern represents a classic memory management flaw that aligns with CWE-401, which specifically addresses improper release of memory after use. The issue demonstrates poor coding practices in handling dynamic memory allocation where developers fail to ensure that every memory allocation has a corresponding deallocation, creating a situation where memory becomes unreachable but not freed. The atomic server example serves as a demonstration of how even example code can contain critical memory management flaws that could be inadvertently copied or adapted by developers.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple performance degradation to potentially compromising system stability and availability. In environments where braft is deployed as a core component of distributed systems, memory leaks can cause progressive resource exhaustion that may not be immediately apparent to operators. The leak can be particularly problematic in containerized environments or cloud deployments where memory limits are enforced, as the gradual consumption of memory resources may lead to process termination or resource contention. Additionally, the vulnerability affects only specific versions of the software, with installations using brpc-0.14.0 and later being unaffected, indicating that the issue was addressed in subsequent releases. This suggests that the memory leak was likely identified and fixed through proper code review processes, though the older version remains vulnerable and requires immediate attention from users.
Organizations utilizing Baidu braft version 1.1.2 should implement immediate mitigations to address this vulnerability. The most effective approach is to upgrade to brpc-0.14.0 or later versions where the memory leak has been resolved. System administrators should conduct thorough inventory checks to identify all instances running the vulnerable version and prioritize remediation efforts. In cases where upgrading is not immediately feasible, implementing memory monitoring and alerting systems can help detect the accumulation of memory leaks before they cause system instability. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of proper code review processes and automated memory analysis tools that can identify such issues in development environments. From an ATT&CK perspective, this vulnerability could be leveraged by adversaries to perform resource exhaustion attacks, potentially leading to denial of service conditions that align with techniques described in the privilege escalation and denial of service categories of the ATT&CK framework.