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CodeQL query to detect unsafe uses of std::vector::operator[].
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kevinbackhouse committed Jul 11, 2021
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* @name NULL iterator deref
* @description Dereferencing an iterator without checking that it's valid could cause a crash.
* @kind problem
* @problem.severity warning
* @id cpp/null-iterator-deref
* @tags security
* external/cwe/cwe-476
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<!DOCTYPE qhelp SYSTEM "qhelp.dtd">
<qhelp>
<overview>
<p>
The <a href="https://en.cppreference.com/w/cpp/container/vector/operator_at"><tt>operator[]</tt></a> method of <a href="https://en.cppreference.com/w/cpp/container/vector"><tt>std::vector</tt></a> does not do any bounds checking on the index. It is safer to use the <a href="https://en.cppreference.com/w/cpp/container/vector/at"><tt>at()</tt></a> method, which does do bounds checking.
</p>
</overview>
<recommendation>
<p>
Use the <a href="https://en.cppreference.com/w/cpp/container/vector/at"><tt>at()</tt></a> method, rather than <a href="https://en.cppreference.com/w/cpp/container/vector/operator_at"><tt>operator[]</tt></a>.
</p>
<p>
Some uses of <a href="https://en.cppreference.com/w/cpp/container/vector/operator_at"><tt>operator[]</tt></a> are safe because they are protected by a bounds check. The query recognises the following safe coding patterns:
</p>
<ul>
<li><tt>if (!x.empty()) { ...x[0]... }</tt></li>
<li><tt>if (x.length()) { ...x[0]... }</tt></li>
<li><tt>if (x.size() > 2) { ...x[2]... }</tt></li>
<li><tt>if (x.size() == 2) { ...x[1]... }</tt></li>
<li><tt>if (x.size() != 0) { ...x[0]... }</tt></li>
<li><tt>if (i < x.size()) { ... x[i] ... }</tt></li>
<li><tt>if (!x.empty()) { ... x[x.size() - 1] ... }</tt></li>
</ul>
</recommendation>
<example>
<p>
<a href="https://github.com/Exiv2/exiv2/issues/1706">#1706</a> was caused by a lack of bounds-checking on <a href="https://github.com/Exiv2/exiv2/blob/15098f4ef50cc721ad0018218acab2ff06e60beb/include/exiv2/value.hpp#L1639">this array access</a>. The bug was <a href="https://github.com/Exiv2/exiv2/pull/1735">fixed</a> calling the <a href="https://en.cppreference.com/w/cpp/container/vector/at"><tt>at()</tt></a> method instead.
</p>
</example>
</qhelp>
179 changes: 179 additions & 0 deletions .github/codeql-queries/exiv2-cpp-queries/unsafe_vector_access.ql
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/**
* @name Unsafe vector access
* @description std::vector::operator[] does not do any runtime
* bounds-checking, so it is safer to use std::vector::at()
* @kind problem
* @problem.severity warning
* @id cpp/unsafe-vector-access
* @tags security
* external/cwe/cwe-125
*/

import cpp
import semmle.code.cpp.controlflow.Guards
import semmle.code.cpp.dataflow.DataFlow
import semmle.code.cpp.rangeanalysis.SimpleRangeAnalysis
import semmle.code.cpp.rangeanalysis.RangeAnalysisUtils
import semmle.code.cpp.valuenumbering.GlobalValueNumbering
import semmle.code.cpp.valuenumbering.HashCons

// A call to `operator[]`.
class ArrayIndexCall extends FunctionCall {
ClassTemplateInstantiation ti;
TemplateClass tc;

ArrayIndexCall() {
this.getTarget().getName() = "operator[]" and
ti = this.getQualifier().getType().getUnspecifiedType() and
tc = ti.getTemplate() and
tc.getSimpleName() != "map" and
tc.getSimpleName() != "match_results"
}

ClassTemplateInstantiation getClassTemplateInstantiation() { result = ti }

TemplateClass getTemplateClass() { result = tc }
}

// A call to `size` or `length`.
class SizeCall extends FunctionCall {
string fname;

SizeCall() {
fname = this.getTarget().getName() and
(fname = "size" or fname = "length")
}
}

// `x[i]` is safe if `x` is a `std::array` (fixed-size array)
// and `i` within the bounds of the array.
predicate indexK_with_fixedarray(ClassTemplateInstantiation t, ArrayIndexCall call) {
t = call.getClassTemplateInstantiation() and
exists(Expr idx |
t.getSimpleName() = "array" and
idx = call.getArgument(0) and
lowerBound(idx) >= 0 and
upperBound(idx) < t.getTemplateArgument(1).(Literal).getValue().toInt()
)
}

// Holds if `cond` is a Boolean condition that checks the size of
// the array. It handles the following code patterns:
//
// 1. `if (!x.empty()) { ... }`
// 2. `if (x.length()) { ... }`
// 3. `if (x.size() > 2) { ... }`
// 4. `if (x.size() == 2) { ... }`
// 5. `if (x.size() != 0) { ... }`
//
// If it safe to assume that `x.size() >= minsize` on the exit `branch`.
predicate minimum_size_cond(Expr cond, Expr arrayExpr, int minsize, boolean branch) {
// `if (!x.empty()) { ...x[0]... }`
exists(FunctionCall emptyCall |
cond = emptyCall and
arrayExpr = emptyCall.getQualifier() and
emptyCall.getTarget().getName() = "empty" and
minsize = 1 and
branch = false
)
or
// `if (x.length()) { ...x[0]... }`
exists(SizeCall sizeCall |
cond = sizeCall and
arrayExpr = sizeCall.getQualifier() and
minsize = 1 and
branch = true
)
or
// `if (x.size() > 2) { ...x[2]... }`
exists(SizeCall sizeCall, Expr k, RelationStrictness strict |
arrayExpr = sizeCall.getQualifier() and
relOpWithSwapAndNegate(cond, sizeCall, k, Greater(), strict, branch)
|
strict = Strict() and minsize = 1 + k.getValue().toInt()
or
strict = Nonstrict() and minsize = k.getValue().toInt()
)
or
// `if (x.size() == 2) { ...x[1]... }`
exists(SizeCall sizeCall, Expr k |
arrayExpr = sizeCall.getQualifier() and
eqOpWithSwapAndNegate(cond, sizeCall, k, true, branch) and
minsize = k.getValue().toInt()
)
or
// `if (x.size() != 0) { ...x[0]... }`
exists(SizeCall sizeCall, Expr k |
arrayExpr = sizeCall.getQualifier() and
eqOpWithSwapAndNegate(cond, sizeCall, k, false, branch) and
k.getValue().toInt() = 0 and
minsize = 1
)
}

// Array accesses like these are safe:
// `if (!x.empty()) { ... x[0] ... }`
// `if (x.size() > 2) { ... x[2] ... }`
predicate indexK_with_check(GuardCondition guard, ArrayIndexCall call) {
exists(Expr arrayExpr, BasicBlock block, int i, int minsize, boolean branch |
minimum_size_cond(guard, arrayExpr, minsize, branch) and
(
globalValueNumber(arrayExpr) = globalValueNumber(call.getQualifier()) or
hashCons(arrayExpr) = hashCons(call.getQualifier())
) and
guard.controls(block, branch) and
block.contains(call) and
i = call.getArgument(0).getValue().toInt() and
0 <= i and
i < minsize
)
}

// Array accesses like this are safe:
// `if (i < x.size()) { ... x[i] ... }`
predicate indexI_with_check(GuardCondition guard, ArrayIndexCall call) {
exists(Expr idx, SizeCall sizeCall, BasicBlock block, boolean branch |
relOpWithSwapAndNegate(guard, idx, sizeCall, Lesser(), Strict(), branch) and
(
globalValueNumber(sizeCall.getQualifier()) = globalValueNumber(call.getQualifier()) and
globalValueNumber(idx) = globalValueNumber(call.getArgument(0))
or
hashCons(sizeCall.getQualifier()) = hashCons(call.getQualifier()) and
hashCons(idx) = hashCons(call.getArgument(0))
) and
guard.controls(block, branch) and
block.contains(call)
)
}

// Array accesses like this are safe:
// `if (!x.empty()) { ... x[x.size() - 1] ... }`
predicate index_last_with_check(GuardCondition guard, ArrayIndexCall call) {
exists(Expr arrayExpr, SubExpr minusExpr, SizeCall sizeCall, BasicBlock block, boolean branch |
minimum_size_cond(guard, arrayExpr, _, branch) and
(
globalValueNumber(arrayExpr) = globalValueNumber(call.getQualifier()) or
hashCons(arrayExpr) = hashCons(call.getQualifier())
) and
guard.controls(block, branch) and
block.contains(call) and
minusExpr = call.getArgument(0) and
minusExpr.getRightOperand().getValue().toInt() = 1 and
DataFlow::localExprFlow(sizeCall, minusExpr.getLeftOperand()) and
(
globalValueNumber(sizeCall.getQualifier()) = globalValueNumber(call.getQualifier()) or
hashCons(sizeCall.getQualifier()) = hashCons(call.getQualifier())
)
)
}

from ArrayIndexCall call
where
not indexK_with_fixedarray(_, call) and
not indexK_with_check(_, call) and
not indexI_with_check(_, call) and
not index_last_with_check(_, call) and
// Ignore accesses like this: `vsnprintf(&buffer[0], buffer.size(), format, args)`
// That's pointer arithmetic, not a deref, so it's usually a false positive.
not exists(AddressOfExpr addrExpr | addrExpr.getOperand() = call)
select call, "Unsafe use of operator[]. Use the at() method instead."

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