CVE-2023-34454: snappy-java is a fast compressor/decompressor for Java. Due to unchecked multiplications, an integer overflow may occur in versions prior to 1.1.10.1,...

Description

snappy-java is a fast compressor/decompressor for Java. Due to unchecked multiplications, an integer overflow may occur in versions prior to 1.1.10.1, causing an unrecoverable fatal error. The function `compress(char[] input)` in the file `Snappy.java` receives an array of characters and compresses it. It does so by multiplying the length by 2 and passing it to the rawCompress` function. Since the length is not tested, the multiplication by two can cause an integer overflow and become negative. The rawCompress function then uses the received length and passes it to the natively compiled maxCompressedLength function, using the returned value to allocate a byte array. Since the maxCompressedLength function treats the length as an unsigned integer, it doesn’t care that it is negative, and it returns a valid value, which is casted to a signed integer by the Java engine. If the result is negative, a `java.lang.NegativeArraySizeException` exception will be raised while trying to allocate the array `buf`. On the other side, if the result is positive, the `buf` array will successfully be allocated, but its size might be too small to use for the compression, causing a fatal Access Violation error. The same issue exists also when using the `compress` functions that receive double, float, int, long and short, each using a different multiplier that may cause the same issue. The issue most likely won’t occur when using a byte array, since creating a byte array of size 0x80000000 (or any other negative value) is impossible in the first place. Version 1.1.10.1 contains a patch for this issue.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

7.5/10

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

EPSS Probability

1.47%

70.4th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

CWE-190

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions
Xerial	Snappy-Java	< 1.1.10.1

References

Timeline

Published: Jun 15, 2023
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Modified

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-34454?

snappy-java is a fast compressor/decompressor for Java. Due to unchecked multiplications, an integer overflow may occur in versions prior to 1.1.10.1, causing an unrecoverable fatal error. The function `compress(char[] input)` in the file `Snappy.java` receives an array of characters and compresses it. It does so by multiplying the length by 2 and passing it to the rawCompress` function. Since the length is not tested, the multiplication by two can cause an integer overflow and become negative. The rawCompress function then uses the received length and passes it to the natively compiled maxCompressedLength function, using the returned value to allocate a byte array. Since the maxCompressedLength function treats the length as an unsigned integer, it doesn’t care that it is negative, and it returns a valid value, which is casted to a signed integer by the Java engine. If the result is negative, a `java.lang.NegativeArraySizeException` exception will be raised while trying to allocate the array `buf`. On the other side, if the result is positive, the `buf` array will successfully be allocated, but its size might be too small to use for the compression, causing a fatal Access Violation error. The same issue exists also when using the `compress` functions that receive double, float, int, long and short, each using a different multiplier that may cause the same issue. The issue most likely won’t occur when using a byte array, since creating a byte array of size 0x80000000 (or any other negative value) is impossible in the first place. Version 1.1.10.1 contains a patch for this issue.

How severe is CVE-2023-34454?

CVE-2023-34454 has a CVSS score of 7.5/10 (HIGH severity). The EPSS model estimates a 1.47% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2023-34454?

Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.

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