dbcve.org
LibbsonApplication · MongoDB

CVE-2024-6381

MEDIUM · 5.3 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-07-02
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 1.26.2 or later.
See remediation →
62/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 bson_strfreev function in the MongoDB C driver library may be susceptible to an integer overflow where the function will try to free memory at a negative offset. This may result in memory corruption. This issue affected libbson versions prior to 1.26.2

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

Integer overflow in bson_strfreev function in libbson (versions prior to 1.26.2) causes the function to attempt freeing memory at a negative offset, leading to heap corruption and potential arbitrary code execution.

MitigationUpgrade libbson to version 1.26.2 or later to obtain the patched bson_strfreev function. Audit all code paths that call bson_strfreev to ensure nouse-after-free conditions exist in affected versions.

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
LibbsonApplication
Affected:< 1.26.2

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
None
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

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

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 libbson version
    Locate the libbson library on your system (commonly in /usr/lib, /usr/local/lib, or within application bundles) and query its version using tools like 'ldd' on linked executables, checking package metadata, or inspecting the library file version info
    Affected if The installed libbson version is earlier than 1.26.2
  2. Find applications using libbson
    Search for executables or libraries that link against libbson by examining dependency lists ('ldd' output) or searching for references to 'libbson' in your application binaries and libraries
    Affected if Any application or library on your system links to a vulnerable libbson version (< 1.26.2)
  3. Locate bson_strfreev usage
    Search your application's code and any bundled libraries for calls to bson_strfreev function, or inspect the call graph if debugging symbols are available
    Affected if Code paths exist that call bson_strfreev with user-controlled string array inputs in an environment using a vulnerable libbson version
  4. Verify heap interaction patterns
    Review code that passes string arrays to bson_strfreev to determine if the array length could be attacker-controlled, as the integer overflow triggers when processing arrays with certain length values
    Affected if Your application calls bson_strfreev with array counts that could exceed normal bounds, combined with a libbson version below 1.26.2

Your environment is affected if libbson version is earlier than 1.26.2 AND your code or any linked component calls the bson_strfreev function.

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 1.26.2 or later
Fixed in 1.26.2
Interim mitigation

Upgrade libbson to version 1.26.2 or later to obtain the patched bson_strfreev function. Audit all code paths that call bson_strfreev to ensure nouse-after-free conditions exist in affected versions.

Recommended fix High confidence

Libbson 1.26.2

  1. Identify the current version of libbson in your environment by checking project dependencies or running pkg-config --modversion libbson
  2. Consult your project's dependency management system (package.json, requirements.txt, CMakeLists.txt, conanfile.txt, etc.) to locate the libbson dependency
  3. Update the libbson dependency to version 1.26.2 or later
  4. Rebuild or recompile your project to link against the updated libbson library
  5. Verify the new version is correctly linked by checking that bson_strfreev is no longer called with potentially negative offset values
  6. Run existing test suites to ensure the upgrade does not introduce regressions

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

Fix this in Libbson Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,760
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,416.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-6381 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2024-6381 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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