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* BUG #18908: DEREF_OF_NULL: After having been assigned to a NULL value at descriptor.c:203
@ 2025-04-30 11:25 PG Bug reporting form <noreply@postgresql.org>
0 siblings, 1 reply; 3+ messages in thread
From: PG Bug reporting form @ 2025-04-30 11:25 UTC (permalink / raw)
To: pgsql-bugs@lists.postgresql.org; +Cc: gorcom2012@gmail.com
The following bug has been logged on the website:
Bug reference: 18908
Logged by: Eugeny Goryachev
Email address: gorcom2012@gmail.com
PostgreSQL version: 17.4
Operating system: Ubuntu
Description:
DEREF_OF_NULL.EX.COND After having been assigned to a NULL value at
descriptor.c:203, pointer '0' is passed as 5th parameter in call to function
'ECPGdump_a_type' at descriptor.c:203, where it is dereferenced at
type.c:332.
In the file /src/interfaces/ecpg/preproc/descriptor.c, in the function
output_get_descr(), there is a call to ECPGdump_a_type() with an explicit
NULL passed as the 5th parameter:
void
output_get_descr(char *desc_name, char *index)
{
***
ECPGdump_a_type(base_yyout, v->name, v->type, v->brace_level,
NULL, NULL, -1, NULL, NULL, str_zero, NULL, NULL);
***
}
This NULL parameter is then passed to the ECPGdump_a_struct() function,
where it gets dereferenced:
static void
ECPGdump_a_struct(FILE *o, const char *name, const char *ind_name, char
*arrsize, struct ECPGtype *type, struct ECPGtype *ind_type, const char
*prefix, const char *ind_prefix)
{
***
char *pbuf = (char *) mm_alloc(strlen(name) + ((prefix == NULL) ? 0 :
strlen(prefix)) + 3);
***
}
When name == NULL, the strlen(name) call will cause a Segmentation Fault.
To fix this issue, I propose the following patch:
diff --git a/src/interfaces/ecpg/preproc/type.c
b/src/interfaces/ecpg/preproc/type.c
index a842bb6a1fe..7ffae74bcf2 100644
--- a/src/interfaces/ecpg/preproc/type.c
+++ b/src/interfaces/ecpg/preproc/type.c
@@ -587,7 +587,7 @@ ECPGdump_a_struct(FILE *o, const char *name, const char
*ind_name, char *arrsize
struct ECPGstruct_member *p,
*ind_p = NULL;
char *pbuf = (char *) mm_alloc(strlen(name) + ((prefix == NULL) ?
0 : strlen(prefix)) + 3);
- char *ind_pbuf = (char *) mm_alloc(strlen(ind_name) +
((ind_prefix == NULL) ? 0 : strlen(ind_prefix)) + 3);
+ char *ind_pbuf = (char *) mm_alloc(((ind_name == NULL) ? 0 :
strlen(ind_name)) + ((ind_prefix == NULL) ? 0 : strlen(ind_prefix)) + 3);
if (atoi(arrsize) == 1)
sprintf(pbuf, "%s%s.", prefix ? prefix : "", name);
^ permalink raw reply [nested|flat] 3+ messages in thread
* Re: BUG #18908: DEREF_OF_NULL: After having been assigned to a NULL value at descriptor.c:203
@ 2025-05-08 12:55 Robin Haberkorn <haberkorn@b1-systems.de>
parent: PG Bug reporting form <noreply@postgresql.org>
0 siblings, 0 replies; 3+ messages in thread
From: Robin Haberkorn @ 2025-05-08 12:55 UTC (permalink / raw)
To: gorcom2012@gmail.com; pgsql-bugs@lists.postgresql.org
Hello Eugeny!
On Wed Apr 30, 2025 at 14:25:56 GMT +03, PG Bug reporting form wrote:
> DEREF_OF_NULL.EX.COND After having been assigned to a NULL value at
> descriptor.c:203, pointer '0' is passed as 5th parameter in call to function
> 'ECPGdump_a_type' at descriptor.c:203, where it is dereferenced at
> type.c:332.
Perhaps you can provide a pgc file that triggers the bug?
Best regards,
Robin
--
Robin Haberkorn
Senior Software Engineer
B1 Systems GmbH
Osterfeldstraße 7 / 85088 Vohburg / https://www.b1-systems.de
GF: Ralph Dehner / Unternehmenssitz: Vohburg / AG: Ingolstadt, HRB 3537
^ permalink raw reply [nested|flat] 3+ messages in thread
* Re: BUG #18908: DEREF_OF_NULL: After having been assigned to a NULL value at descriptor.c:203
@ 2025-08-08 07:08 Алена Васильева <gorcom2012@gmail.com>
0 siblings, 0 replies; 3+ messages in thread
From: Алена Васильева @ 2025-08-08 07:08 UTC (permalink / raw)
To: pgsql-bugs@lists.postgresql.org
Hello,
This is regarding bug report BUG #18908:
<https://www.postgresql.org/message-id/18908-6531c66d23729837%40postgresql.org;
18908-6531c66d23729837@postgresql.org
<https://www.postgresql.org/message-id/18908-6531c66d23729837%40postgresql.org;
.
I have reviewed this block of code and concluded that it does not require
any fixes. This is a false positive from the static analyzer.
In the output_get_descr() function, there is a call:
```
ECPGdump_a_type(base_yyout, v->name, v->type, v->brace_level,
NULL, NULL, -1, NULL, NULL, str_zero, NULL, NULL);
```
where the 5th parameter is passed as NULL.
Then, in the ECPGdump_a_type() function, this 5th parameter is defined
as ind_name and is passed as the 3rd parameter to:
```
ECPGdump_a_struct(o, name, ind_name, str_one, type, ind_type, prefix,
ind_prefix);
```
In ECPGdump_a_struct(), there is a dereference of the ind_name pointer:
```
char *ind_pbuf = (char *) mm_alloc(strlen(ind_name) + ((ind_prefix ==
NULL) ? 0 : strlen(ind_prefix)) + 3);
```
Here, if ind_name == NULL, calling strlen(ind_name) would cause a
process crash (segmentation fault).
To demonstrate that this can never happen and that the analyzer is
mistaken, let’s look at the condition under which ECPGdump_a_struct()
is called from ECPGdump_a_type():
```
switch (type->type)
{
case ECPGt_struct:
```
That is, only if the processed variable is of type struct.
However, output_get_descr() never processes structs — it only works
with descriptors.
The field type->type (which is v->type) comes from:
```
const struct variable *v = find_variable(results->variable);
```
But in output_get_descr(), we process descriptor fields (SQLDA), and
results->value is one of the descriptor’s fields.
All these fields are primitive types, not structs:
```
/* descriptor items */
enum ECPGdtype
{
ECPGd_count = 1,
ECPGd_data,
ECPGd_di_code,
ECPGd_di_precision,
ECPGd_indicator,
ECPGd_key_member,
ECPGd_length,
ECPGd_name,
ECPGd_nullable,
ECPGd_octet,
ECPGd_precision,
ECPGd_ret_length,
ECPGd_ret_octet,
ECPGd_scale,
ECPGd_type,
ECPGd_EODT, /* End of descriptor types. */
ECPGd_cardinality
};
```
Therefore, ECPGdump_a_struct() will never be called from
output_get_descr() because:
1.
v->type->type will never be ECPGt_struct in this context;
2.
results->value refers to descriptor fields, not C structs.
Consequently, a call to strlen(ind_name) with ind_name == NULL is unreachable.
Best regards, Eugeny Goryachev
^ permalink raw reply [nested|flat] 3+ messages in thread
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2025-04-30 11:25 BUG #18908: DEREF_OF_NULL: After having been assigned to a NULL value at descriptor.c:203 PG Bug reporting form <noreply@postgresql.org>
2025-05-08 12:55 ` Robin Haberkorn <haberkorn@b1-systems.de>
2025-08-08 07:08 Re: BUG #18908: DEREF_OF_NULL: After having been assigned to a NULL value at descriptor.c:203 Алена Васильева <gorcom2012@gmail.com>
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