CVE-2026-90648 Details
Description
wasm2c in WebAssembly wabt through 1.0.41 allows sandbox escape in some situations that primarily involve 32-bit platforms, aka a "table flip" attack. It does not check the return value of calloc() in wasm_rt_allocate_funcref_table() (wasm2c/wasm-rt-impl-tableops.inc). When the funcref table allocation fails, table->data is left NULL while table->size keeps the guest-declared element count; thus, bounds checks still pass and table element accesses resolve to absolute memory addresses (i * sizeof(wasm_rt_funcref_t)). This gives arbitrary read and write of host process memory and - via table.get, table.set, and call_indirect - arbitrary code execution, defeating the isolation that wasm2c exists to provide (a full sandbox escape). wasm2c is used as an in-process sandboxing boundary by RLBox and WasmBoxC, including in Firefox, which compiles the Graphite, Hunspell, Ogg, Expat, and Woff2 libraries via wasm2c to contain untrusted font, media, and XML input. Therefore, sandboxing in these applications is potentially affected. Exploitation requires the funcref table allocation to fail, for example under an address-space limit (RLIMIT_AS), on 32-bit hosts, with vm.overcommit_memory=2, or under memory pressure. On 64-bit Linux with default overcommit the allocation succeeds and the defect is not triggered. The wasm2c memory allocator aborts on calloc failure in the same runtime; the table allocator lacks this abort behavior. This was introduced in commit ab9e0b55 (PR #813).
A vulnerability in the WebAssembly toolchain Wabt, specifically in the wasm2c component through version 1.0.41, allows for a sandbox escape on 32-bit platforms. This issue arises because wasm2c does not properly handle memory allocation errors when creating a function reference table. As a result, an attacker can manipulate memory access to execute arbitrary code, bypassing the intended isolation. This vulnerability is particularly relevant in applications like Firefox that use RLBox for sandboxing, potentially affecting the handling of untrusted font, media, and XML input.
Users can update to Wabt version 1.0.42, where this vulnerability has been addressed.
Metrics
CVSS 4.0 Severity and Vector Strings:
CVSS 3.x Severity and Vector Strings:
No data available for CVSS Version 2.0 on this CVE.
Volerion
Assessed Sep 13, 2026CISA-ADP
Assessed Sep 14, 2026References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools
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| URL | Source(s) | Tag(s) |
|---|---|---|
| https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1827704 | [email protected] | Issue TrackingVendor |
| https://github.com/trustsig-eu/wasm2c-tableflip | [email protected] | ExploitTechnical Description |
| https://github.com/WebAssembly/wabt | [email protected] | ProductSource CodeVendor |
| https://https://blog.mozilla.org/attack-and-defense/2021/12/06/webassembly-and-back-again-fine-grained-sandboxing-in-firefox-95 | [email protected] | Broken LinkMedia CoverageVendor |
| https://rlbox.dev | [email protected] | Technical Description |
Weakness Enumeration
| CWE-ID | CWE Name | Source |
|---|---|---|
| CWE-252 | Unchecked Return Value | [email protected] |
Affected Products
| Product | Versions |
|---|---|
| WebAssembly wabt | 1.0.41 (semver) |
CPE
Remediation
| |
| Mozilla Firefox | All versions |
CPE
Remediation
| |
| Mozilla RLBox | All versions |
CPE
Remediation
| |
Change History
2 change records found show changes
| Date | Action | Recorded By |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 14, 2026 | CVE Modified | CISA-ADP |
| Sep 13, 2026 | New CVE Received | [email protected] |
Volerion