DragonFly vulnerable to panics due to nil pointer dereference when using variables created alongside an error
### Impact We found two instances in the DragonFly codebase where the first return value of a function is dereferenced even when the function returns an error (figures 9.1 and 9.2). This can result in a nil dereference, and cause code to panic. The codebase may contain additional instances of the bug. ```golang request, err := source.NewRequestWithContext(ctx, parentReq.Url, parentReq.UrlMeta.Header) if err != nil { log.Errorf("generate url [%v] request error: %v", request.URL, err) span.RecordError(err) return err } ``` Eve is a malicious actor operating a peer machine. She sends a dfdaemonv1.DownRequest request to her peer Alice. Alice’s machine receives the request, resolves a nil variable in the server.Download method, and panics. ### Patches - Dragonfy v2.1.0 and above. ### Workarounds There are no effective workarounds, beyond upgrading. ### References A third party security audit was performed by Trail of Bits, you can see the [full report](https://github.com/dragonflyoss/dragonfly/blob/main/docs/security/dragonfly-comprehensive-report-2023.pdf). If you have any questions or comments about this advisory, please email us at [dragonfly-maintainers@googlegroups.com](mailto:dragonfly-maintainers@googlegroups.com).
describes (1)
Related CVEs.
| ID | severity | exploitable | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2025-59351US | medium5.3 | — | ||
Dragonfly is an open source P2P-based file distribution and image acceleration system. Prior to 2.1.0, the first return value of a function is dereferenced even when the function r… | ||||
references
External citations — patches, advisories, analysis.
- https://github.com/dragonflyoss/dragonflyPACKAGE
- https://github.com/dragonflyoss/dragonfly/blob/main/docs/security/dragonfly-comprehensive-report-2023.pdfWEB
- https://github.com/dragonflyoss/dragonfly/security/advisories/GHSA-4mhv-8rh3-4ghwWEB
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-59351ADVISORY
- https://pkg.go.dev/vuln/GO-2025-3970WEB
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