security: fix 4 HIGH Dependabot alerts#38
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- Update quinn-proto to 0.11.14 (fixes HIGH: DoS via panic in QUIC parameter parsing) - Update aws-lc-sys to 0.38.0 (fixes 3 HIGH vulnerabilities): * PKCS7_verify Signature Validation Bypass * Timing Side-Channel in AES-CCM Tag Verification * PKCS7_verify Certificate Chain Validation Bypass Fixes: #6, #7, #8, #9
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@coderabbitai review |
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WalkthroughTwo explicit dependencies ( Changes
Estimated code review effort🎯 1 (Trivial) | ⏱️ ~2 minutes Poem
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Actionable comments posted: 1
🤖 Prompt for all review comments with AI agents
Verify each finding against the current code and only fix it if needed.
Inline comments:
In `@Cargo.toml`:
- Around line 62-66: Update the version specifiers in Cargo.toml for the
dependencies to exact pins instead of caret ranges: change the quinn-proto and
aws-lc-sys entries to use "=0.11.14" and "=0.38.0" respectively so Cargo will
resolve those crates to the exact versions (refer to the dependency names
quinn-proto and aws-lc-sys in the Cargo.toml to locate the lines to modify).
ℹ️ Review info
⚙️ Run configuration
Configuration used: Organization UI
Review profile: CHILL
Plan: Pro
Run ID: 3a9ad92c-0930-4155-9deb-52260667a103
⛔ Files ignored due to path filters (1)
Cargo.lockis excluded by!**/*.lock
📒 Files selected for processing (1)
Cargo.toml
| [dependencies.quinn-proto] | ||
| version = "0.11.14" | ||
|
|
||
| [dependencies.aws-lc-sys] | ||
| version = "0.38.0" |
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🧩 Analysis chain
🏁 Script executed:
#!/bin/bash
set -euo pipefail
lockfile="$(fd '^Cargo.lock$' | head -n1)"
if [ -z "${lockfile:-}" ]; then
echo "Cargo.lock not found"
exit 1
fi
python - "$lockfile" <<'PY'
import re, sys
from pathlib import Path
lock = Path(sys.argv[1]).read_text()
targets = {
"quinn-proto": (0, 11, 14),
"aws-lc-sys": (0, 38, 0),
}
found = {k: [] for k in targets}
for block in lock.split("[[package]]"):
name_m = re.search(r'(?m)^name = "([^"]+)"$', block)
ver_m = re.search(r'(?m)^version = "([^"]+)"$', block)
if name_m and ver_m and name_m.group(1) in found:
found[name_m.group(1)].append(ver_m.group(1))
def parse_semver(v):
m = re.match(r"^(\d+)\.(\d+)\.(\d+)", v)
return tuple(map(int, m.groups())) if m else None
bad = []
for name, min_v in targets.items():
versions = sorted(set(found[name]))
print(f"{name}: {versions if versions else 'NOT FOUND'}")
for v in versions:
p = parse_semver(v)
if p is None or p < min_v:
bad.append((name, v, min_v))
if bad:
print("\nFound vulnerable/unexpected versions:")
for name, v, min_v in bad:
print(f"- {name} {v} < {min_v[0]}.{min_v[1]}.{min_v[2]}")
sys.exit(2)
PYRepository: MostroP2P/mostrix
Length of output: 186
Current Cargo.toml does not achieve deterministic pinning; lockfile shows aws-lc-sys 0.37.1 is still being pulled as a transitive dependency.
Lines 62–66 use caret requirements ("0.11.14" / "0.38.0"), which allow compatible semver ranges (e.g., >=0.38.0, <0.39.0). This cannot prevent lower versions from being selected by transitive dependencies. The lockfile verification confirms this: despite specifying aws-lc-sys at 0.38.0, the build includes version 0.37.1, which is below the intended security threshold.
Switch to exact-version pins (=0.11.14 and =0.38.0) to enforce deterministic resolution:
Proposed diff
[dependencies.quinn-proto]
-version = "0.11.14"
+version = "=0.11.14"
[dependencies.aws-lc-sys]
-version = "0.38.0"
+version = "=0.38.0"📝 Committable suggestion
‼️ IMPORTANT
Carefully review the code before committing. Ensure that it accurately replaces the highlighted code, contains no missing lines, and has no issues with indentation. Thoroughly test & benchmark the code to ensure it meets the requirements.
| [dependencies.quinn-proto] | |
| version = "0.11.14" | |
| [dependencies.aws-lc-sys] | |
| version = "0.38.0" | |
| [dependencies.quinn-proto] | |
| version = "=0.11.14" | |
| [dependencies.aws-lc-sys] | |
| version = "=0.38.0" |
🤖 Prompt for AI Agents
Verify each finding against the current code and only fix it if needed.
In `@Cargo.toml` around lines 62 - 66, Update the version specifiers in Cargo.toml
for the dependencies to exact pins instead of caret ranges: change the
quinn-proto and aws-lc-sys entries to use "=0.11.14" and "=0.38.0" respectively
so Cargo will resolve those crates to the exact versions (refer to the
dependency names quinn-proto and aws-lc-sys in the Cargo.toml to locate the
lines to modify).
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long comment for @coderabbitai , consider that window is not compiling for this reason:
That copy is what’s failing to build on Windows/MSVC:
It compiles aws-lc/tests/compiler_features_tests/.c, which expect a C11 toolchain and some GCC builtins.
MSVC’s defaults + your environment don’t provide those ("C atomics require C11 or later", alignas/alignof undefined, __builtin_bswap undefined), and there’s also “NASM command not found”.
So the build failure is not a Rust‑level incompatibility; it’s native C test code in aws-lc-sys 0.38.0 not liking your Windows toolchain.
Given that, the most pragmatic approach right now:
Step 1 – Undo the direct aws-lc-sys override (fix your build)
In Cargo.toml, remove the manual aws-lc-sys section:
Security fixes for Dependabot alerts
Force updated versions of vulnerable transitive dependencies
[dependencies.quinn-proto]
version = "0.11.14"
DELETE this block – it’s causing the build failure on Windows
#[dependencies.aws-lc-sys]
#version = "0.38.0"
Then run cargo clean && cargo build (or cargo clippy) again; this should stop trying to build aws-lc-sys 0.38.0 and go back to the known‑working 0.37.1 that aws-lc-rs depends on.
Step 2 – Let upstream own the aws-lc-* bump
The correct security fix is for some top‑level crate to move to a safe combination of aws-lc-rs/aws-lc-sys that:
fixes the CVE, and
is known to build on Windows/MSVC.
That likely means:
Bumping nostr-sdk once they release a version that depends on a newer aws-lc-rs, or
Bumping whatever crate is pulling in quinn-proto/aws-lc-rs (if it’s not nostr-sdk).
Until that exists, any manual override like [dependencies.aws-lc-sys] = "0.38.0" is brittle and, as you’ve seen, can easily break native builds.
Step 3 – How to handle Dependabot in the meantime
Options:
Short-term, keep your build green and track the alert manually
Remove the aws-lc-sys override (Step 1).
In GitHub, for that Dependabot alert, either:
Mark it as “acknowledged / will fix later” with a note “blocked on upstream aws-lc-rs/quinn-proto update that compiles on Windows/MSVC”, or
Temporarily ignore with a time limit (e.g., 30/90 days).
If your CI runs on Linux and you really want Dependabot green now
You could keep the aws-lc-sys = "0.38.0" override only in a branch or PR that Dependabot opens, and let CI (on Linux) run that, while your local Windows dev branch doesn’t carry that override.
But that’s a bit of a workflow hack and easy to get confusing.
About the quinn-proto entry
Your Cargo.lock already shows quinn-proto 0.11.14, so the [dependencies.quinn-proto] in Cargo.toml is not required to get that version; cargo update -p quinn-proto --precise 0.11.14 would have been enough and keeps it as a transitive dep.
It’s harmless but unnecessary; you can leave it or remove it, depending on whether you like pinning that version explicitly.
Suggested concrete change
If you want a simple, low‑risk change you can apply right now:
Edit Cargo.toml and delete the aws-lc-sys dependency block.
Rebuild on Windows to confirm everything compiles again.
In GitHub:
Keep the quinn-proto bump (it already shows in Cargo.lock), which should satisfy any quinn-proto‑related Dependabot alert.
For the aws-lc-sys alert, document that you can’t yet safely move to 0.38.0 on Windows due to upstream build issues; track it as a follow‑up.
If you’d like, you can paste the exact Dependabot alert text for aws-lc-sys and I can propose a short justification note you can drop into the GitHub UI when you “acknowledge” or temporarily ignore it.
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@arkanoider, thank you for the thorough analysis — your diagnosis is correct, and I want to explicitly update my earlier recommendation in light of this.
The MSVC/C11 build failure is a well-documented upstream issue. When building aws-lc-sys on Windows using CMake and VS Build Tools, C11 compiler feature detection fails because the build system does not pass /std:c11 to cl.exe. This is not unique to 0.38.0; the issue has been present across many aws-lc-sys versions, and NASM is required on x86-64 Windows but can be avoided using prebuilt NASM objects — meaning the environment must be properly configured to build this crate on Windows at all.
My earlier suggestion to use exact-version pins (=0.38.0) is withdrawn for aws-lc-sys given the Windows build incompatibility you've identified. Forcing the pin resolves the security alert on Linux but breaks the Windows toolchain.
Recommended path forward (aligned with your analysis):
- Remove the
[dependencies.aws-lc-sys]block fromCargo.tomlto restore Windows builds. - Keep the
[dependencies.quinn-proto]pin (or remove it too, since Cargo.lock already resolves 0.11.14 — it's harmless either way). - Acknowledge the
aws-lc-sysDependabot alerts (#6,#7,#8) in the GitHub security UI with a note such as:"Blocked on upstream (
nostr-sdk/aws-lc-rs) releasing a version that builds on Windows/MSVC withaws-lc-sys ≥ 0.38.0. Manual override breaks MSVC C11 build. Tracking for follow-up once upstream support is available." - Track the upstream
nostr-sdkdependency for a version that picks up a compatibleaws-lc-rs/aws-lc-syspairing.
The security risk from retaining aws-lc-sys 0.37.1 is real but accepting a broken Windows build is not a viable trade-off for an active project. The pragmatic path is to acknowledge the limitation and let the ecosystem catch up.
✏️ Learnings added
Learnt from: arkanoider
Repo: MostroP2P/mostrix PR: 38
File: Cargo.toml:62-66
Timestamp: 2026-03-17T08:19:52.416Z
Learning: In the MostroP2P/mostrix repository (Rust/Cargo project), directly overriding `aws-lc-sys` to >= 0.38.0 in Cargo.toml breaks Windows/MSVC builds due to a long-standing upstream issue where the build system does not pass `/std:c11` to `cl.exe`, causing `C atomics require C11 or later` errors. The correct fix is to wait for upstream crates (e.g., `nostr-sdk`) to adopt a compatible `aws-lc-rs`/`aws-lc-sys` version that builds on Windows. The `aws-lc-sys` Dependabot alerts should be acknowledged in the GitHub UI with a note about the Windows MSVC incompatibility until upstream support is available.
Note: Learnings are effective only in the context of similar code segments. To apply general coding guidelines, please configure review instructions. You can manage existing learnings in the app.
2 participants
🔒 Security Fixes
Fixes 4 HIGH severity Dependabot alerts by updating vulnerable transitive dependencies.
Vulnerabilities Fixed
🟠 #9: quinn-proto < 0.11.14
Vulnerability: Unauthenticated remote DoS via panic in QUIC transport parameter parsing
quinn-proto = 0.11.14🟠 #8, #7, #6: aws-lc-sys < 0.38.0
3 Critical Cryptographic Vulnerabilities:
PKCS7_verify Signature Validation Bypass (GHSA-hfpc-8r3f-gw53)
Timing Side-Channel in AES-CCM Tag Verification (GHSA-65p9-r9h6-22vj)
PKCS7_verify Certificate Chain Validation Bypass (GHSA-vw5v-4f2q-w9xf)
aws-lc-sys = 0.38.0Changes
Cargo.tomlto force secure versions:Cargo.lockwith secure versionsTesting
Closes: #6, #7, #8, #9
Summary by CodeRabbit
quinn-protoandaws-lc-sysdependencies to their latest versions for improved security and stability.