Use-After-Free and Double Free in IntoIter::drop When Element Drop Panics

A Double Free / Use-After-Free (UAF) vulnerability has been identified in the `IntoIter::drop` and `ThinVec::clear` implementations of the `thin-vec` crate. Both vulnerabilities share the same root cause and can trigger memory corruption using only safe Rust code - no unsafe blocks required. Undefined Behavior has been confirmed via Miri and AddressSanitizer (ASAN). ## Details When a **panic occurs** during sequential element deallocation, the subsequent length cleanup code (`set_len(0)`) is never executed. During stack unwinding, the container is dropped again, causing already-freed memory to be re-freed (Double Free / UAF). ### Vulnerability 1 - `IntoIter::drop` `IntoIter::drop` transfers ownership of the internal buffer via `mem::replace`, then sequentially frees elements via `ptr::drop_in_place`. If a panic occurs during element deallocation, `set_len_non_singleton(0)` is never reached. During unwinding, `vec` is dropped again, re-freeing already-freed elements. The standard library's `std::vec::IntoIter` prevents this with a **DropGuard pattern**, but thin-vec lacks this defense. ### PoC ```rust use thin_vec::ThinVec; struct PanicBomb(String); impl Drop for PanicBomb { fn drop(&mut self) { if self.0 == "panic" { panic!("panic!"); } println!("Dropping: {}", self.0); } } fn main() { let mut v = ThinVec::new(); v.push(PanicBomb(String::from("normal1"))); v.push(PanicBomb(String::from("panic"))); // trigger element v.push(PanicBomb(String::from("normal2"))); let mut iter = v.into_iter(); iter.next(); // When iter is dropped: panic occurs at "panic" element // → During unwinding, Double Drop is triggered on "normal1" (already freed) } ``` ### Vulnerability 2 - `ThinVec::clear` `clear()` calls `ptr::drop_in_place(&mut self[..])` followed by `self.set_len(0)` to reset the length. If a panic occurs during element deallocation, `set_len(0)` is never executed. When the `ThinVec` itself is subsequently dropped, already-freed elements are freed again. ### PoC ```rust use thin_vec::ThinVec; use std::panic; struct Poison(Box<usize>, &'static str); impl Drop for Poison { fn drop(&mut self) { if self.1 == "panic" { panic!("panic!"); } println!("Dropping: {}", self.0); } } fn main() { let mut v = ThinVec::new(); v.push(Poison(Box::new(1), "normal1")); // index 0 v.push(Poison(Box::new(2), "panic")); // index 1 → panic triggered here v.push(Poison(Box::new(3), "normal2")); // index 2 let _ = panic::catch_unwind(panic::AssertUnwindSafe(|| { v.clear(); // panic occurs at "panic" element during clear() // → set_len(0) is never called // → already-freed elements are re-freed when v goes out of scope })); } ``` ## Prerequisites 1. `ThinVec` stores heap-owning types (`String`, `Vec`, `Box`, etc.) 2. (Vulnerability 1) An iterator is created via `into_iter()` and dropped before being fully consumed, or (Vulnerability 2) `clear()` is called while a remaining element's `Drop` implementation can panic 3. The `Drop` implementation of a remaining element triggers a panic When combined with `Box<dyn Trait> types`, an exploit primitive enabling Arbitrary Code Execution (ACE) via heap spray and vtable hijacking has been confirmed. If the freed fat pointer slot (16 bytes) at the point of Double Drop is reclaimed by an attacker-controlled fake vtable, subsequent Drop calls can be redirected to attacker-controlled code.

Source published

14 Apr 2026 12:00:00 UTC

Source modified

12 Oct 2026 18:00:08 UTC

Observed here

24 Oct 2026 13:19:54 UTC

Source terms

OSV · upstream source license applies

Original source record · Cite this exact observation · Complete original publisher JSON

This view projects the publisher's source fields for reading; the original JSON retains additional fields and CVE enrichment containers. Attribution: osv · OSV · upstream source license applies. Source text is retained; field grouping and change labels are provided by ChangeIntel.

CVSS_V3 · CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:H