CVE-2026-45785

OpenMcdf is a fully .NET / C# library to manipulate Compound File Binary File Format files, also known as Structured Storage. In 3.1.3 and earlier, the BST name-lookup loop in DirectoryTree.TryGetDirectoryEntry (OpenMcdf/DirectoryTree.cs:35-46) walks directory entries by repeatedly calling directories.TryGetSibling(child, siblingType, validateColor). A crafted CFB file with cyclic Left/Right sibling links among directory entries, constructed so the per-step BST-order check in TryGetSibling (DirectoryEntries.cs:84-85) is satisfied at every step, drives this while (child is not null) loop forever. There is no cycle detection in TryGetDirectoryEntry, and the bug is reachable from RootStorage.OpenStorage(name), TryOpenStorage(name), OpenStream(name), and TryOpenStream(name), causing an unrecoverable denial of service. This issue is fixed in version 3.1.4.

OpenMcdf is a fully .NET / C# library to manipulate Compound File Binary File Format files, also known as Structured Storage. In 3.1.3 and earlier, the BST name-lookup loop in DirectoryTree.TryGetDirectoryEntry (OpenMcdf/DirectoryTree.cs:35-46) walks directory entries by repeatedly calling directories.TryGetSibling(child, siblingType, validateColor). A crafted CFB file with cyclic Left/Right sibling links among directory entries, constructed so the per-step BST-order check in TryGetSibling (DirectoryEntries.cs:84-85) is satisfied at every step, drives this while (child is not null) loop forever. There is no cycle detection in TryGetDirectoryEntry, and the bug is reachable from RootStorage.OpenStorage(name), TryOpenStorage(name), OpenStream(name), and TryOpenStream(name), causing an unrecoverable denial of service. This issue is fixed in version 3.1.4.

Summary

The BST name-lookup loop in DirectoryTree.TryGetDirectoryEntry (OpenMcdf/DirectoryTree.cs:35-46) walks directory entries by repeatedly calling directories.TryGetSibling(child, siblingType, validateColor). A crafted CFB file with cyclic Left/Right sibling links among directory entries - constructed so the per-step BST-order check in TryGetSibling (DirectoryEntries.cs:84-85) is satisfied at every step - drives this while (child is not null) loop forever. There is no cycle detection in TryGetDirectoryEntry.

Details

The recent Brent's-algorithm commit (24f445a) protects DirectoryTreeEnumerator and works correctly for both attached repros - pure EnumerateEntries() throws FileFormatException: Directory tree contains a loop cleanly. The unprotected code path is the lookup-by-name loop, which is reached from multiple public APIs:

• RootStorage.OpenStorage(name) / TryOpenStorage(name)
• RootStorage.OpenStream(name) / TryOpenStream(name)

The second one matters most: typical consumers iterate EnumerateEntries() and call OpenStream(entry.Name) per Stream entry. With Brent's algorithm catching the enumeration cycle but not the per-entry lookup, callers can still hang as soon as they touch a streamed entry.

PoC

Two minimal repros attached, demonstrating the same lookup-loop bug reached via two different public APIs:

• repro_lookup.cfb (5,632 bytes) - hangs on direct OpenStorage(name) for a name not present in the directory
• repro_enumerate.cfb (7,936 bytes) - hangs on OpenStream(entry.Name) called for an entry returned by EnumerateEntries() (the common consumer pattern)

Repro 1 - OpenStorage(name)

using OpenMcdf;

using var fs = File.OpenRead("repro_lookup.cfb");
using var root = RootStorage.Open(fs);
root.TryOpenStorage("__substg1.0_3001001F", out _);
// process spins at 100% CPU; Ctrl+C required.

Repro 2 - OpenStream from inside an enumeration loop

using OpenMcdf;

using var fs = File.OpenRead("repro_enumerate.cfb");
using var root = RootStorage.Open(fs);
foreach (var entry in root.EnumerateEntries())   // safe: Brent's catches enumeration cycles
{
    if (entry.Type == EntryType.Stream)
        _ = root.OpenStream(entry.Name);          // hangs: lookup path has no cycle detection
}

Both processes will not terminate.

(Note: pure foreach (var entry in root.EnumerateEntries()) { } with no per-entry lookup is safe - Brent's algorithm in DirectoryTreeEnumerator catches the enumeration cycle and throws FileFormatException: Directory tree contains a loop. The hang only manifests once a name lookup is performed.)

repros.zip

Impact

A denial of service affecting any application that opens untrusted CFB files with OpenMcdf. A small crafted input with a cyclic directory tree reaches the unprotected BST name-lookup in DirectoryTree.TryGetDirectoryEntry, hit by any caller of OpenStorage / TryOpenStorage / OpenStream / TryOpenStream - including the very common pattern of iterating EnumerateEntries() and calling OpenStream(entry.Name) per Stream entry. The cycles bypass the per-step BST-order check in TryGetSibling, so no exception is thrown and try/catch cannot protect callers. The affected thread is unrecoverable without killing the process. Downstream CFB consumers (e.g. .msg-file parsers) inherit transitively.

OpenMcdf is a fully .NET / C# library to manipulate Compound File Binary File Format files, also known as Structured Storage. In 3.1.3 and earlier, the BST name-lookup loop in DirectoryTree.TryGetDirectoryEntry (OpenMcdf/DirectoryTree.cs:35-46) walks directory entries by repeatedly calling directories.TryGetSibling(child, siblingType, validateColor). A crafted CFB file with cyclic Left/Right sibling links among directory entries, constructed so the per-step BST-order check in TryGetSibling (DirectoryEntries.cs:84-85) is satisfied at every step, drives this while (child is not null) loop forever. There is no cycle detection in TryGetDirectoryEntry, and the bug is reachable from RootStorage.OpenStorage(name), TryOpenStorage(name), OpenStream(name), and TryOpenStream(name), causing an unrecoverable denial of service. This issue is fixed in version 3.1.4.

OpenMcdf is a fully .NET / C# library to manipulate Compound File Binary File Format files, also known as Structured Storage. In 3.1.3 and earlier, the BST name-lookup loop in DirectoryTree.TryGetDirectoryEntry (OpenMcdf/DirectoryTree.cs:35-46) walks directory entries by repeatedly calling directories.TryGetSibling(child, siblingType, validateColor). A crafted CFB file with cyclic Left/Right sibling links among directory entries, constructed so the per-step BST-order check in TryGetSibling (DirectoryEntries.cs:84-85) is satisfied at every step, drives this while (child is not null) loop forever. There is no cycle detection in TryGetDirectoryEntry, and the bug is reachable from RootStorage.OpenStorage(name), TryOpenStorage(name), OpenStream(name), and TryOpenStream(name), causing an unrecoverable denial of service. This issue is fixed in version 3.1.4.

Summary

The BST name-lookup loop in DirectoryTree.TryGetDirectoryEntry (OpenMcdf/DirectoryTree.cs:35-46) walks directory entries by repeatedly calling directories.TryGetSibling(child, siblingType, validateColor). A crafted CFB file with cyclic Left/Right sibling links among directory entries - constructed so the per-step BST-order check in TryGetSibling (DirectoryEntries.cs:84-85) is satisfied at every step - drives this while (child is not null) loop forever. There is no cycle detection in TryGetDirectoryEntry.

Details

The recent Brent's-algorithm commit (24f445a) protects DirectoryTreeEnumerator and works correctly for both attached repros - pure EnumerateEntries() throws FileFormatException: Directory tree contains a loop cleanly. The unprotected code path is the lookup-by-name loop, which is reached from multiple public APIs:

• RootStorage.OpenStorage(name) / TryOpenStorage(name)
• RootStorage.OpenStream(name) / TryOpenStream(name)

The second one matters most: typical consumers iterate EnumerateEntries() and call OpenStream(entry.Name) per Stream entry. With Brent's algorithm catching the enumeration cycle but not the per-entry lookup, callers can still hang as soon as they touch a streamed entry.

PoC

Two minimal repros attached, demonstrating the same lookup-loop bug reached via two different public APIs:

• repro_lookup.cfb (5,632 bytes) - hangs on direct OpenStorage(name) for a name not present in the directory
• repro_enumerate.cfb (7,936 bytes) - hangs on OpenStream(entry.Name) called for an entry returned by EnumerateEntries() (the common consumer pattern)

Repro 1 - OpenStorage(name)

using OpenMcdf;

using var fs = File.OpenRead("repro_lookup.cfb");
using var root = RootStorage.Open(fs);
root.TryOpenStorage("__substg1.0_3001001F", out _);
// process spins at 100% CPU; Ctrl+C required.

Repro 2 - OpenStream from inside an enumeration loop

using OpenMcdf;

using var fs = File.OpenRead("repro_enumerate.cfb");
using var root = RootStorage.Open(fs);
foreach (var entry in root.EnumerateEntries())   // safe: Brent's catches enumeration cycles
{
    if (entry.Type == EntryType.Stream)
        _ = root.OpenStream(entry.Name);          // hangs: lookup path has no cycle detection
}

Both processes will not terminate.

(Note: pure foreach (var entry in root.EnumerateEntries()) { } with no per-entry lookup is safe - Brent's algorithm in DirectoryTreeEnumerator catches the enumeration cycle and throws FileFormatException: Directory tree contains a loop. The hang only manifests once a name lookup is performed.)

repros.zip

Impact

A denial of service affecting any application that opens untrusted CFB files with OpenMcdf. A small crafted input with a cyclic directory tree reaches the unprotected BST name-lookup in DirectoryTree.TryGetDirectoryEntry, hit by any caller of OpenStorage / TryOpenStorage / OpenStream / TryOpenStream - including the very common pattern of iterating EnumerateEntries() and calling OpenStream(entry.Name) per Stream entry. The cycles bypass the per-step BST-order check in TryGetSibling, so no exception is thrown and try/catch cannot protect callers. The affected thread is unrecoverable without killing the process. Downstream CFB consumers (e.g. .msg-file parsers) inherit transitively.