CVE-2022-2879: Unbounded memory consumption when reading headers in archive/tar

Published Oct 4, 2022
·
Updated

A flaw was found in the golang package, where Reader.Read does not set a limit on the maximum size of file headers. After fixing, Reader.Read limits the maximum size of header blocks to 1 MiB. This flaw allows a maliciously crafted archive to cause Read to allocate unbounded amounts of memory, potentially causing resource exhaustion or panic.

Other sources

Golang Go is vulnerable to a denial of service, caused by the failure to set a limit on the maximum size of file headers by Reader.Read. By using a specially crafted archive, a remote attacker could exploit this vulnerability to exhaust all available memory resources.

IBM

Reader.Read did not set a limit on the maximum size of file headers. A maliciously crafted archive could cause Read to allocate unbounded amounts of memory, potentially causing resource exhaustion or panics. Reader.Read now limits the maximum size of header blocks to 1 MiB.

Ref: https://groups.google.com/g/golang-announce/c/xtuG5faxtaU?pli=1

Red Hat

Reader.Read does not set a limit on the maximum size of file headers. A maliciously crafted archive could cause Read to allocate unbounded amounts of memory, potentially causing resource exhaustion or panics. After fix, Reader.Read limits the maximum size of header blocks to 1 MiB.

Unbounded memory consumption when reading headers in archive/tar

Microsoft

Affected Software

41 affected componentsFixes available
redhat/openshift-serverless-clients<0:1.6.1-1.el8
0:1.6.1-1.el8
redhat/go-toolset<1.18-0:1.18.9-1.el7_9
1.18-0:1.18.9-1.el7_9
redhat/go-toolset<1.18-golang-0:1.18.9-1.el7_9
1.18-golang-0:1.18.9-1.el7_9
redhat/osbuild-composer<0:75-1.el8
0:75-1.el8
redhat/weldr-client<0:35.9-2.el8
0:35.9-2.el8
redhat/golang<0:1.18.9-1.el9_1
0:1.18.9-1.el9_1
redhat/osbuild-composer<0:76-2.el9_2
0:76-2.el9_2
redhat/weldr-client<0:35.9-1.el9
0:35.9-1.el9
redhat/openshift-clients<0:4.12.0-202301042257.p0.g854f807.assembly.stream.el8
0:4.12.0-202301042257.p0.g854f807.assembly.stream.el8
redhat/buildah<1:1.23.4-4.rhaos4.12.el8
1:1.23.4-4.rhaos4.12.el8
redhat/conmon<2:2.1.2-4.rhaos4.12.el8
2:2.1.2-4.rhaos4.12.el8
redhat/podman<3:4.2.0-6.1.rhaos4.12.el8
3:4.2.0-6.1.rhaos4.12.el8
redhat/skopeo<2:1.9.4-3.rhaos4.12.el9
2:1.9.4-3.rhaos4.12.el9
redhat/skupper-cli<0:1.4.1-2.el8
0:1.4.1-2.el8
redhat/skupper-cli<0:1.4.1-2.el9
0:1.4.1-2.el9
debian/golang-1.15<=1.15.15-1~deb11u4
debian/golang-1.19
1.19.8-2
Golang Go<1.18.7
Golang Go>=1.19.0<1.19.2
redhat/go<1.19.2
1.19.2
redhat/go<1.18.7
1.18.7
IBM Data Virtualization on Cloud Pak for Data<=3.0
IBM Watson Query on Cloud Pak for Data<=2.2
IBM Watson Query on Cloud Pak for Data<=2.1
IBM Watson Query on Cloud Pak for Data<=2.0
IBM Data Virtualization on Cloud Pak for Data<=1.8
IBM Data Virtualization on Cloud Pak for Data<=1.7
Microsoft cbl2 golang 1.17.13-2
Microsoft azl3 libcontainers-common 20240213-2
Microsoft azl3 ig 0.29.0-1
Microsoft cbl2 golang 1.19.10-1
Microsoft cbl2 golang 1.21.6-1
Microsoft azl3 containerized-data-importer 1.57.0-14
Microsoft azl3 containerized-data-importer 1.57.0-3
Microsoft azl3 skopeo 1.14.4-1
Microsoft azl3 moby-engine 25.0.3-3
Microsoft cm1 golang 1.17.13-2
Microsoft azl3 skopeo 1.14.4-5
Microsoft azl3 ig 0.25.0-2
Microsoft azl3 moby-engine 25.0.3-13
Microsoft azl3 libcontainers-common 20240213-3

Remediation

Event History

Oct 4, 2022
CVE Published
12:00 AM
Oct 7, 2022
Data Sourced
via Red Hat·04:49 AM
DescriptionSeverityAffected Software
Oct 14, 2022
CVE Published
via MITRE·12:00 AM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·12:00 AM
DescriptionWeakness
Oct 19, 2022
Data Sourced
via Microsoft·07:00 AM
DescriptionSeverityWeakness
Data Sourced
via Microsoft·07:00 AM
Affected Software
Updated
via Microsoft·07:00 AM
DescriptionSeverity
Oct 10, 2024
Data Sourced
via Ubuntu·01:15 PM
RemedyDescriptionSeverityAffected Software
Data Sourced
via Launchpad·01:16 PM
Description
Aug 15, 2025
Data Sourced
via IBM·03:29 PM
DescriptionAffected Software
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Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the vulnerability ID for this flaw?

The vulnerability ID for this flaw is CVE-2022-2879.

2

What is the severity level of CVE-2022-2879?

The severity level of CVE-2022-2879 is high with a score of 7.5.

3

Which software packages are affected by CVE-2022-2879?

The affected software packages include go, openshift-serverless-clients, go-toolset, osbuild-composer, weldr-client, golang, openshift-clients, buildah, conmon, podman, skopeo, and skupper-cli.

4

How can I fix the vulnerability in the go package?

You can fix the vulnerability in the go package by updating it to version 1.19.2 or higher.

5

Is there any additional information about CVE-2022-2879?

Yes, you can find additional information about CVE-2022-2879 in the references provided.

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