GHSA-4mrv-5p47-p938 MessagePack::Buffer#clear Use-After-Free that Enables Cross-Buffer Disclosure

• RubyGems msgpack: < 1.8.2 → fixed in 1.8.2

Summary `MessagePack::Buffer#clear` shifts out every chunk and returns its 4 KiB rmem page to the shared pool, but does not reset the buffer's rmem cursor (`rmem_last`, `rmem_end`, `rmem_owner`). The next write sees "unused rmem space" left over from the freed page and hands back a slice of memory that has already been returned to the pool. A second `MessagePack::Buffer` then re-acquires that same page, so reading the cleared-and-rewritten buffer discloses the second buffer's bytes — a same-process use-after-free with cross-buffer information disclosure (and the symmetric write-corruption). Details • `msgpack_buffer_clear()` → `_msgpack_buffer_shift_chunk()` (`ext/msgpack/buffer.c:151`, `:128`) destroys chunks (`_msgpack_buffer_chunk_destroy`, `:58`, returns the page via `msgpack_rmem_free`) but resets only `tail_buffer_end`/`read_buffer`, leaving `rmem_last`/`rmem_end`/`rmem_owner` pointing into the freed page. • Next `Buffer#write` → `_msgpack_buffer_chunk_malloc()` reuse branch (`:363`) returns `b->rmem_last`, a pointer into the already-freed page. • A second buffer's first write calls `msgpack_rmem_alloc()` and gets the same physical page back from the pool → the two buffers alias the same memory. • Sanitizer note: rmem (`ext/msgpack/rmem.h`) recycles pages with a slab bitmask, not `free()`, so a stock ASAN build does not abort; the cross-buffer disclosure below is the proof. PoC Single self-contained script (builds msgpack from rubygems with AddressSanitizer, then runs the PoC): ```bash set -e WORK="$(mktemp -d)"; cd "$WORK" 1) PoC cat > poc.rb Dockerfile <<'DOCKER' FROM ruby:3.3-bookworm RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends build-essential libasan8 && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/* RUN gem fetch msgpack -v 1.8.1 && gem unpack msgpack-1.8.1.gem && \ cd msgpack-1.8.1/ext/msgpack && \ MSGPACK_DEBUG=1 ruby extconf.rb --with-cflags='-O0 -g -fsanitize=address -fno-omit-frame-pointer' --with-ldflags='-fsanitize=address' && \ make -j"$(nproc)" && cp msgpack.so ../../lib/msgpack/msgpack.so DOCKER docker build -t msgpack-asan-poc . 3) Run under ASAN docker run --rm -v "$WORK/poc.rb:/poc.rb:ro" msgpack-asan-poc \ bash -c 'export LD_PRELOAD=$(gcc -print-file-name=libasan.so); export ASAN_OPTIONS=detect_leaks=0:halt_on_error=1:abort_on_error=1; RUBYLIB=/msgpack-1.8.1/lib ruby -rmsgpack /poc.rb' ``` Expected output: ``` b1_first64:ABCDABCDABCDABCDABCDABCDABCDABCDABCDABCDABCDABCDABCDABCDABCDABCD b2_donor64:ABCDABCDABCDABCDABCDABCDABCDABCDABCDABCDABCDABCDABCDABCDABCDABCD leaked_is_C:false cross_buffer_match:true ``` Impact Same-process cross-buffer information disclosure and corruption: after `clear` + reuse, one `MessagePack::Buffer` aliases another's memory, leaking or overwriting serialized data that may belong to a different request or tenant. Requires direct use of the `MessagePack::Buffer` API with a `clear`/reuse lifecycle (a supported performance pattern); not reachable from a plain `unpack` byte stream. Real-world severity Low–Medium; clear memory-safety defect with a small, localized fix. Credit Pranjali Thakur - depthfirst (depthfirst.com)