CVE-2026-100348: CWE-476: NULL Pointer Dereference in getkin kin-openapi
Description
The defect ---------- Confirmed at HEAD (f0407d5, v0.144.0). openapi3/loader.go, inside resolveComponent's drill closure (around line 455), the case *SchemaRef branch for pathPart == "additionalProperties" dereferences c.Value.AdditionalProperties with no nil-check on c.Value: case *SchemaRef: if pathPart == "additionalProperties" { if ap := c.Value.AdditionalProperties.Has; ap != nil { // c.Value can be nil here cursor = *ap } else { cursor = c.Value.AdditionalProperties.Schema } attempted = true } When a $ref fragment drills through .../additionalProperties of a schema whose Value is still nil (a pure, not-yet-resolved $ref, or a self-reference resolved before its own Value is set), c.Value is nil and the .AdditionalProperties access panics. Input and attacker ------------------- A tiny crafted OpenAPI document, one schema, no external refs, no network: openapi: 3.0.3 info: {title: t, version: "1.0.0"} paths: {} components: schemas: A: $ref: '#/components/schemas/A/additionalProperties' Attacker model: any service or tool that loads an untrusted spec via the default openapi3.Loader (LoadFromData / LoadFromFile / LoadFromURI), e.g. a spec registry, an API-management platform ingesting user specs, a linter, or a converter. It crashes during LOAD (ResolveRefsIn), before Validate. Verification level ------------------ EXECUTED with negative controls (agent-run go test at HEAD f0407d5, including yesterday's security merge; the bug is still present). The full stack pins LoadFromData:196 -> ResolveRefsIn:274 -> resolveSchemaRef:1048 -> resolveComponent:485 -> drill:439 -> :455, propagating to main(); no recover() in loader.go/schema.go (grep + trace). Two negative controls stay clean: drilling additionalProperties of a resolved schema loads fine (the existing TestIssue376 happy path), and a normal recursive schema loads fine, so the nil Value is specifically the cause. I independently re-confirmed at HEAD that loader.go:455 dereferences c.Value.AdditionalProperties with no nil-check on c.Value. NOT verified: I did not enumerate every consumer's recover posture. Suggested fix ------------- Add if c.Value == nil { break } (fall through to the nil-safe drillIntoField) before touching c.Value.AdditionalProperties. One line. Also cleared (stated, not claimed) ---------------------------------- The allOf/anyOf $ref diamond does not blow up: Schema.validate threads its stack through the return and never pops it, acting as a global pointer-keyed visited-set (executed N=10..30, microseconds). External-ref SSRF/path-traversal is blocked by default (IsExternalRefsAllowed=false); the known custom-ReadFromURIFunc bypass is the already-banked downstream oasdiff item. Advisory-source note -------------------- Five-source enumeration: every kin-openapi advisory (CVE-2025-30153 plus the five fresh July-2026 GHSAs) is in openapi3filter (request validation); this finding is in the openapi3 loader, untouched by that systematic reporter and flagged un-analyzed by the prior oasdiff scout. Not contested on the loader surface as of today (a systematic hunter could pivot, so it decays; submit reasonably promptly). Dedup ----- Dedup gate clean: no kin-openapi loader verdict in COVERED-INDEX, DISCLOSURE-INDEX or SCOUT-EXCLUDE (the one DISCLOSURE-INDEX hit is report #313, the downstream oasdiff, a different repo/lane). Tooling ------- AI assistance was used while investigating. The panic is executed-verified with negative controls (a one-schema self-referential additionalProperties $ref crashes LoadFromData while a resolved additionalProperties and a normal recursive schema load fine), and I confirmed at HEAD that loader.go:455 dereferences c.Value.AdditionalProperties with no nil-check on c.Value, on a load path with no recover.
CVSS v3.1
Score 5.3medium
Affected software
getkin
kin-openapi
pkg:golang/github.com/getkin/kin-openapiRun on your own infrastructure? Check whether these packages are installed with threat-finder — our free open-source scanner.
Weaknesses
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
kin-openapi is a Go library for handling OpenAPI files. Versions before 0.145.0 contain a NULL pointer dereference (CWE-476) in the openapi3.Loader component. Specifically, when resolving a self-referential additionalProperties JSON Reference—such as a schema that points to its own additionalProperties member—the loader may dereference a nil SchemaRef.Value. This occurs before document validation during loading via LoadFromData, LoadFromFile, or LoadFromURI, leading to a panic in the loading process. Other recursive schemas or resolved additionalProperties schemas do not trigger this nil-value path. The issue is resolved in version 0.145.0.
Potential Impact
An attacker can craft a malicious OpenAPI document that triggers a NULL pointer dereference during loading, causing the application to panic and potentially crash. This results in a denial of service (DoS) condition. There is no impact on confidentiality or integrity. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 5.3 (medium severity), reflecting network attack vector, low complexity, no privileges required, no user interaction, unchanged scope, no confidentiality or integrity impact, and availability impact limited to partial disruption.
Mitigation Recommendations
Upgrade kin-openapi to version 0.145.0 or later, where this NULL pointer dereference vulnerability is fixed. No other mitigations are indicated or necessary.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- GitHub_M
- Date Reserved
- 2026-09-25T19:19:54.697Z
- Cvss Version
- 3.1
- State
- PUBLISHED
Threat ID: 6ad0f5fb2cdf04f65641fe04
Added to database: 10/15/2026, 15:49:15 UTC
Last enriched: 10/15/2026, 16:04:19 UTC
Last updated: 10/15/2026, 22:07:15 UTC
Views: 12
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