Description
Nanopb is a small code-size Protocol Buffers implementation. In Nanopb before versions 0.4.4 and 0.3.9.7, decoding specifically formed message can leak memory if dynamic allocation is enabled and an oneof field contains a static submessage that contains a dynamic field, and the message being decoded contains the submessage multiple times. This is rare in normal messages, but it is a concern when untrusted data is parsed. This is fixed in versions 0.3.9.7 and 0.4.4. The following workarounds are available: 1) Set the option `no_unions` for the oneof field. This will generate fields as separate instead of C union, and avoids triggering the problematic code. 2) Set the type of the submessage field inside oneof to `FT_POINTER`. This way the whole submessage will be dynamically allocated and the problematic code is not executed. 3) Use an arena allocator for nanopb, to make sure all memory can be released afterwards.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| nanopb | nanopb | < 0.3.9.7, >= 0.4.0, < 0.4.4 | — |
Fixed in Linux distributions
Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.
Debian
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian 14 | nanopb | 0.4.4-1 | — |
| Debian 13 | nanopb | 0.4.4-1 | — |
| Debian 12 | nanopb | 0.4.4-1 | — |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu Pro 20.04 LTS | nanopb | 0.4.1-1ubuntu0.1~esm1 | USN-6121-1 |
openSUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| openSUSE Tumbleweed | nanopb | 0.4.5-1.3 | openSUSE-SU-2024:11074-1 |
Affected packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Affected | Fixed | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PyPI | nanopb | >= 0.3.2, < 0.3.9.7 | 0.3.9.7 | GHSA-85rr-4rh9-hhwh |
| PyPI | nanopb | >= 0.4.0, < 0.4.4 | 0.4.4 | GHSA-85rr-4rh9-hhwh |
| PyPI | nanopb | >= 0.3.2, < 0.3.9.7 · >= 0.4.0, < 0.4.4 | 0.3.9.7, 0.4.4 | PYSEC-2026-684 |
Advisories 2
- USN-6121-1 nanopb vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Apr 22, 2026
- openSUSE-SU-2024:11074-1 libprotobuf-nanopb0-0.4.5-1.3 on GA media SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026