crypto/x509: prevent HostnameError.Error() from consuming excessive resource

Constructing HostnameError.Error() takes O(N^2) runtime due to using a
string concatenation in a loop. Additionally, there is no limit on how
many names are included in the error message. As a result, a malicious
attacker could craft a certificate with an infinite amount of names to
unfairly consume resource.

To remediate this, we will now use strings.Builder to construct the
error message, preventing O(N^2) runtime. When a certificate has 100 or
more names, we will also not print each name individually.

Thanks to Philippe Antoine (Catena cyber) for reporting this issue.

Fixes #76445
Fixes CVE-2025-61729

Change-Id: I6343776ec3289577abc76dad71766c491c1a7c81
Reviewed-on: https://go-internal-review.googlesource.com/c/go/+/3000
Reviewed-by: Neal Patel <[email protected]>
Reviewed-by: Damien Neil <[email protected]>
Reviewed-on: https://go-review.googlesource.com/c/go/+/725920
Reviewed-by: Roland Shoemaker <[email protected]>
Reviewed-by: Dmitri Shuralyov <[email protected]>
TryBot-Bypass: Dmitri Shuralyov <[email protected]>

Author: nicholashusin

src/crypto/x509/verify.go

@@ -108,31 +108,38 @@ type HostnameError struct {
 
 func (h HostnameError) Error() string {
 	c := h.Certificate
+	maxNamesIncluded := 100
 
 	if !c.hasSANExtension() && matchHostnames(c.Subject.CommonName, h.Host) {
 		return "x509: certificate relies on legacy Common Name field, use SANs instead"
 	}
 
-	var valid string
+	var valid strings.Builder
 	if ip := net.ParseIP(h.Host); ip != nil {
 		// Trying to validate an IP
 		if len(c.IPAddresses) == 0 {
 			return "x509: cannot validate certificate for " + h.Host + " because it doesn't contain any IP SANs"
 		}
+		if len(c.IPAddresses) >= maxNamesIncluded {
+			return fmt.Sprintf("x509: certificate is valid for %d IP SANs, but none matched %s", len(c.IPAddresses), h.Host)
+		}
 		for _, san := range c.IPAddresses {
-			if len(valid) > 0 {
-				valid += ", "
+			if valid.Len() > 0 {
+				valid.WriteString(", ")
 			}
-			valid += san.String()
+			valid.WriteString(san.String())
 		}
 	} else {
-		valid = strings.Join(c.DNSNames, ", ")
+		if len(c.DNSNames) >= maxNamesIncluded {
+			return fmt.Sprintf("x509: certificate is valid for %d names, but none matched %s", len(c.DNSNames), h.Host)
+		}
+		valid.WriteString(strings.Join(c.DNSNames, ", "))
 	}
 
-	if len(valid) == 0 {
+	if valid.Len() == 0 {
 		return "x509: certificate is not valid for any names, but wanted to match " + h.Host
 	}
-	return "x509: certificate is valid for " + valid + ", not " + h.Host
+	return "x509: certificate is valid for " + valid.String() + ", not " + h.Host
 }
 
 // UnknownAuthorityError results when the certificate issuer is unknown

src/crypto/x509/verify_test.go

@@ -10,13 +10,16 @@ import (
 	"crypto/ecdsa"
 	"crypto/elliptic"
 	"crypto/rand"
+	"crypto/rsa"
 	"crypto/x509/pkix"
 	"encoding/asn1"
 	"encoding/pem"
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"internal/testenv"
+	"log"
 	"math/big"
+	"net"
 	"os"
 	"os/exec"
 	"runtime"
@@ -89,6 +92,26 @@ var verifyTests = []verifyTest{
 
 		errorCallback: expectHostnameError("certificate is valid for"),
 	},
+	{
+		name:        "TooManyDNS",
+		leaf:        generatePEMCertWithRepeatSAN(1677615892, 200, "fake.dns"),
+		roots:       []string{generatePEMCertWithRepeatSAN(1677615892, 200, "fake.dns")},
+		currentTime: 1677615892,
+		dnsName:     "www.example.com",
+		systemSkip:  true, // does not chain to a system root
+
+		errorCallback: expectHostnameError("certificate is valid for 200 names, but none matched"),
+	},
+	{
+		name:        "TooManyIPs",
+		leaf:        generatePEMCertWithRepeatSAN(1677615892, 150, "4.3.2.1"),
+		roots:       []string{generatePEMCertWithRepeatSAN(1677615892, 150, "4.3.2.1")},
+		currentTime: 1677615892,
+		dnsName:     "1.2.3.4",
+		systemSkip:  true, // does not chain to a system root
+
+		errorCallback: expectHostnameError("certificate is valid for 150 IP SANs, but none matched"),
+	},
 	{
 		name:          "IPMissing",
 		leaf:          googleLeaf,
@@ -552,6 +575,30 @@ func nameToKey(name *pkix.Name) string {
 	return strings.Join(name.Country, ",") + "/" + strings.Join(name.Organization, ",") + "/" + strings.Join(name.OrganizationalUnit, ",") + "/" + name.CommonName
 }
 
+func generatePEMCertWithRepeatSAN(currentTime int64, count int, san string) string {
+	cert := Certificate{
+		NotBefore: time.Unix(currentTime, 0),
+		NotAfter:  time.Unix(currentTime, 0),
+	}
+	if ip := net.ParseIP(san); ip != nil {
+		cert.IPAddresses = slices.Repeat([]net.IP{ip}, count)
+	} else {
+		cert.DNSNames = slices.Repeat([]string{san}, count)
+	}
+	privKey, err := rsa.GenerateKey(rand.Reader, 4096)
+	if err != nil {
+		log.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	certBytes, err := CreateCertificate(rand.Reader, &cert, &cert, &privKey.PublicKey, privKey)
+	if err != nil {
+		log.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	return string(pem.EncodeToMemory(&pem.Block{
+		Type:  "CERTIFICATE",
+		Bytes: certBytes,
+	}))
+}
+
 const gtsIntermediate = `-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----
 MIIFljCCA36gAwIBAgINAgO8U1lrNMcY9QFQZjANBgkqhkiG9w0BAQsFADBHMQsw
 CQYDVQQGEwJVUzEiMCAGA1UEChMZR29vZ2xlIFRydXN0IFNlcnZpY2VzIExMQzEU