Wire, Uncontrolled Recursion Vulnerability, CVE-2025-XXXX (Moderate)

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How the CVE Works:

The vulnerability CVE-2025-XXXX in Wire arises due to uncontrolled recursion when processing nested groups in the `ByteArrayProtoReader32.kt` and `ProtoReader.kt` files. Wire versions prior to 5.2.0 fail to enforce a recursion limit, allowing maliciously crafted nested group structures to cause a stack overflow. This can lead to a denial of service (DoS) or potentially allow arbitrary code execution if the overflow is exploited carefully. The issue stems from improper handling of deeply nested group hierarchies, which are not validated for depth during deserialization. Attackers can exploit this by sending specially crafted group data to the application, causing excessive recursion and crashing the system.

DailyCVE Form:

Platform: Wire
Version: < 5.2.0
Vulnerability: Uncontrolled Recursion
Severity: Moderate
Date: Mar 16, 2025

What Undercode Say:

Exploitation:

1. Craft Malicious Payload: Create a deeply nested group structure in the Wire protocol format.
2. Send Payload: Transmit the payload to a vulnerable Wire instance.
3. Trigger Recursion: The application processes the nested groups, leading to uncontrolled recursion and stack overflow.

Protection:

1. Update Wire: Upgrade to Wire version 5.2.0 or later, which enforces recursion limits.
2. Input Validation: Implement depth checks for nested group structures during deserialization.
3. Stack Canaries: Use stack protection mechanisms to detect and mitigate stack overflows.

Commands:

• Check Version: Verify the Wire version using wire --version.
• Update Wire: Use package managers like `apt` or `brew` to update Wire:

  sudo apt update && sudo apt install wire
  

• Test Recursion: Simulate nested group processing with a test script to validate fixes.

Code Snippets:

• Recursion Limit Implementation (Kotlin):

  fun readGroup(depth: Int) {
  if (depth > MAX_RECURSION_DEPTH) throw RecursionLimitExceededException()
  // Process group logic
  }
  

• Payload Detection (Python):

  def validate_nested_groups(data, max_depth=100):
  def _check_depth(group, current_depth):
  if current_depth > max_depth:
  raise ValueError("Nested group depth exceeded")
  for subgroup in group.get('subgroups', []):
  _check_depth(subgroup, current_depth + 1)
  _check_depth(data, 0)
  

Analytics:

• Affected Systems: Wire instances running versions below 5.2.0.
• Exploitability: Moderate, requires crafted payload and network access.
• Mitigation Adoption: High, as the fix is straightforward and available in newer versions.

References:

• GitHub Advisory: bash
• NVD Entry: bash

References:

Reported By: https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-pwf9-q62p-v7wc
Extra Source Hub:
Undercode

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