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ProtobufApplication · Google

CVE-2024-2410

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-05-03
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 4.25.0 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
The JsonToBinaryStream() function is part of the protocol buffers C++ implementation and is used to parse JSON from a stream. If the input is broken up into separate chunks in a certain way, the parser will attempt to read bytes from a chunk that has already been freed. 

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · moderate confidence

A use-after-free vulnerability exists in the JsonToBinaryStream() function of the protocol buffers C++ library. When parsing JSON from a stream where the input is split into chunks in a specific manner, the parser attempts to read from a memory chunk that has already been freed, leading to potential code execution or denial of service.

MitigationApply the latest security patch for protocol buffers C++ library; upgrade to the version that addresses this use-after-free vulnerability in JsonToBinaryStream(). Given the critical CVSS score, prioritize this across all affected systems.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
ProtobufApplication
Affected:>= 4.22.0, < 4.25.0

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify installed Protobuf C++ library version
    Run 'pkg-config --modversion protobuf' or check the library file with 'ls -la /usr/lib/libprotobuf*' and examine the soname. If built from source, check the version.h header file.
    Affected if The version is 4.22.0 through 4.24.x (versions >= 4.22.0 and < 4.25.0)
  2. Determine if JsonToBinaryStream is in use
    Search application source code for calls to JsonToBinaryStream, ParseFromJsonString, or related JSON parsing functions from the protobuf library. Use 'grep -r "JsonToBinaryStream\|ParseFromJson"' in the codebase.
    Affected if The application code calls JsonToBinaryStream or any JSON parsing API from protobuf that reads from a stream input
  3. Check if JSON input is processed from streams
    Review the application architecture to determine if it parses JSON data received over network streams, files, or other streaming sources where input may be chunked or fragmented.
    Affected if The application processes JSON data from streaming sources where input can be split into multiple chunks
  4. Verify runtime library version loaded
    Run the application with 'ldd <executable>' to see which libprotobuf.so is actually loaded at runtime, or use 'strings' on the binary to search for protobuf version strings.
    Affected if The runtime-linked library version falls within the vulnerable range (4.22.x to 4.24.x)

You are affected if your system has Protobuf C++ library version 4.22.0 through 4.24.x AND your application uses JsonToBinaryStream or similar JSON parsing from streaming/chunked input sources.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 4.25.0 or later
Fixed in 4.25.0
Interim mitigation

Apply the latest security patch for protocol buffers C++ library; upgrade to the version that addresses this use-after-free vulnerability in JsonToBinaryStream(). Given the critical CVSS score, prioritize this across all affected systems.

Recommended fix High confidence

Protobuf 4.25.0 or later

  1. 1. Identify all applications and systems using the protobuf library with versions >= 4.22.0 and < 4.25.0
  2. 2. Check the current installed version of protobuf in your environment using your package manager or build system (e.g., `pkg-config --modversion protobuf` or checking your dependency manifests)
  3. 3. Upgrade protobuf to version 4.25.0 or later. For example, using vcpkg: `vcpkg install protobuf:x64-windows --overwrite-version` or via CMake by updating the version in your FetchContent/CMakeLists.txt
  4. 4. Rebuild all applications that depend on the protobuf library
  5. 5. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the new version matches >= 4.25.0
  6. 6. Test your applications to ensure functionality remains intact after the upgrade

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Protobuf Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing10.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
32.0 hours of engineering $5,580
Get the upgrade done

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2024-2410 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data