# xmlparser_setevents(XMLParserObject *self, PyObject* args)
# {
#     ...
#     /* clear out existing events */
#     Py_CLEAR(target->start_event_obj);
# 1   Py_CLEAR(target->end_event_obj);
#     Py_CLEAR(target->start_ns_event_obj);
#     Py_CLEAR(target->end_ns_event_obj);
# 
#     ...
# 
#     seqlen = PySequence_Size(events_seq);
#     for (i = 0; i < seqlen; ++i) {
# 3       PyObject *event_name_obj = PySequence_Fast_GET_ITEM(events_seq, i);
#         ...
# 
#         if (event_name == NULL) {
#             ...
#             return NULL;
#         } else if (strcmp(event_name, "start") == 0) {
#             ...
#         } else if (strcmp(event_name, "end") == 0) {
#             Py_INCREF(event_name_obj);
# 2           Py_XDECREF(target->end_event_obj);
#             target->end_event_obj = event_name_obj;
#         }
#         ...
#       }
#     ...
#   }
# 
# This one leverages nested _setevents invocations. First invocation sets 
# target->end_event_obj to S1 instance. On seconds invocation, 
# target->end_event_obj has refcnt==1, so DECREF at line 1 triggers S1.__del__().
# Destructor invokes _setevents again and sets target->end_event_obj to a S3 
# instance (with refcnt==1). After we return from nested call at line 1, 
# execution continues until it hits an "end" element. At line 2 S3.__del__() is
# called and it deallocates "events_seq". This triggers a controlled OOB (we can
# call it a use after free too) read at line 3. We can control a PyObject pointer.
# 
# Program received signal SIGSEGV, Segmentation fault.
# 0x4068563b in xmlparser_setevents (self=0x40669e4c, args=([], [])) at /home/p/Python-3.4.1/Modules/_elementtree.c:3560
# 3560            PyObject *event_name_obj = PySequence_Fast_GET_ITEM(events_seq, i);
# (gdb) print i
# $1 = 1337
# (gdb) print *(PyListObject*)events_seq
# $2 = {ob_base = {ob_base = {_ob_next = 0x40669df4, _ob_prev = 0x4055f814, ob_refcnt = 3, ob_type = 0x830e1c0 <PyList_Type>}, 
#     ob_size = 0}, ob_item = 0x0, allocated = 0}
#

ping

ping

Proposed patch fixes both this issue and issue24104. With the special macro proposed in issue20440 it can be better.

New changeset deda5b5160d2 by Serhiy Storchaka in branch '2.7':
Issue #24103: Fixed possible use after free in ElementTree.iterparse().
https://hg.python.org/cpython/rev/deda5b5160d2

New changeset ed62cf0cf256 by Serhiy Storchaka in branch '3.5':
Issue #24103: Fixed possible use after free in ElementTree.XMLPullParser.
https://hg.python.org/cpython/rev/ed62cf0cf256

New changeset 8a14af800f96 by Serhiy Storchaka in branch 'default':
Issue #24103: Fixed possible use after free in ElementTree.XMLPullParser.
https://hg.python.org/cpython/rev/8a14af800f96