Reject a nested BJData ndarray dimension vector where it is read

get_ubjson_size_type() takes an inside_ndarray parameter saying whether it is
being called for an ndarray's dimension vector, where another ndarray is not
allowed. It then seeded the flag it passes down to get_ubjson_size_value()
with `false` rather than with that parameter, and only consulted
inside_ndarray afterwards, on the '$' branch.

So on the '#' branch nothing stopped the descent: every "#[" pair of an input
like "[" followed by "#[#[#[..." opened another dimension vector, several
native stack frames deeper each time, and the recursion was only reported on
the way back out. 100,000 pairs crash the process. This is #5104 again, in a
path that has nothing to do with containers.

Seed the flag with inside_ndarray, which is what get_ubjson_size_value()
documents it wants: "for input, `true` means already inside an ndarray vector
or ndarray dimension is not allowed". The nested '[' is then refused where it
is read, so the length of the chain no longer matters.

Both post-checks gain `&& !inside_ndarray`, because an ndarray was found
*here* only if the flag flipped -- get_ubjson_size_value() only ever returns
`true` when its initial value was `false`, as its documentation says. With
that, the "ndarray can not be recursive" branch is unreachable: a recursive
ndarray is now caught one level earlier, and reported as "ndarray dimensional
vector is not allowed" like every other nested dimension vector.

Three existing expectations move accordingly (vR2, vR4, vR6). All three now
fail earlier, and all three now report the same error that vR1, vR5 and vH
already reported for the same shape, which is the more consistent outcome.
Everything else is unchanged: valid 1D and 2D ndarrays, optimized containers
and plain arrays produce identical results, and unit-ubjson is untouched.

Signed-off-by: Niels Lohmann <mail@nlohmann.me>

include/nlohmann/detail/input/binary_reader.hpp

@@ -2477,7 +2477,12 @@ class binary_reader
     {
         result.first = npos; // size
         result.second = 0; // type
-        bool is_ndarray = false;
+        // seed the flag with the caller's context: inside an ndarray dimension
+        // vector another ndarray is not allowed, and get_ubjson_size_value()
+        // rejects it up front instead of reading it and reporting afterwards.
+        // Seeding it with `false` made every '#' of a "[#[#[..." chain descend
+        // another level, which overflowed the stack (see #5104).
+        bool is_ndarray = inside_ndarray;
 
         get_ignore_noop();
 
@@ -2510,13 +2515,11 @@ class binary_reader
             }
 
             const bool is_error = get_ubjson_size_value(result.first, is_ndarray);
-            if (input_format == input_format_t::bjdata && is_ndarray)
+            // an ndarray was read here only if the flag flipped; when it was
+            // seeded true, get_ubjson_size_value() already rejected the nested
+            // dimension vector
+            if (input_format == input_format_t::bjdata && is_ndarray && !inside_ndarray)
             {
-                if (inside_ndarray)
-                {
-                    return sax->parse_error(chars_read, get_token_string(), parse_error::create(112, chars_read,
-                                            exception_message(input_format, "ndarray can not be recursive", "size"), nullptr));
-                }
                 result.second |= (1 << 8); // use bit 8 to indicate ndarray, all UBJSON and BJData markers should be ASCII letters
             }
             return is_error;
@@ -2525,7 +2528,7 @@ class binary_reader
         if (current == '#')
         {
             const bool is_error = get_ubjson_size_value(result.first, is_ndarray);
-            if (input_format == input_format_t::bjdata && is_ndarray)
+            if (input_format == input_format_t::bjdata && is_ndarray && !inside_ndarray)
             {
                 return sax->parse_error(chars_read, get_token_string(), parse_error::create(112, chars_read,
                                         exception_message(input_format, "ndarray requires both type and size", "size"), nullptr));

single_include/nlohmann/json.hpp

@@ -13164,7 +13164,12 @@ class binary_reader
     {
         result.first = npos; // size
         result.second = 0; // type
-        bool is_ndarray = false;
+        // seed the flag with the caller's context: inside an ndarray dimension
+        // vector another ndarray is not allowed, and get_ubjson_size_value()
+        // rejects it up front instead of reading it and reporting afterwards.
+        // Seeding it with `false` made every '#' of a "[#[#[..." chain descend
+        // another level, which overflowed the stack (see #5104).
+        bool is_ndarray = inside_ndarray;
 
         get_ignore_noop();
 
@@ -13197,13 +13202,11 @@ class binary_reader
             }
 
             const bool is_error = get_ubjson_size_value(result.first, is_ndarray);
-            if (input_format == input_format_t::bjdata && is_ndarray)
+            // an ndarray was read here only if the flag flipped; when it was
+            // seeded true, get_ubjson_size_value() already rejected the nested
+            // dimension vector
+            if (input_format == input_format_t::bjdata && is_ndarray && !inside_ndarray)
             {
-                if (inside_ndarray)
-                {
-                    return sax->parse_error(chars_read, get_token_string(), parse_error::create(112, chars_read,
-                                            exception_message(input_format, "ndarray can not be recursive", "size"), nullptr));
-                }
                 result.second |= (1 << 8); // use bit 8 to indicate ndarray, all UBJSON and BJData markers should be ASCII letters
             }
             return is_error;
@@ -13212,7 +13215,7 @@ class binary_reader
         if (current == '#')
         {
             const bool is_error = get_ubjson_size_value(result.first, is_ndarray);
-            if (input_format == input_format_t::bjdata && is_ndarray)
+            if (input_format == input_format_t::bjdata && is_ndarray && !inside_ndarray)
             {
                 return sax->parse_error(chars_read, get_token_string(), parse_error::create(112, chars_read,
                                         exception_message(input_format, "ndarray requires both type and size", "size"), nullptr));

tests/src/unit-bjdata.cpp

@@ -3288,8 +3288,10 @@ TEST_CASE("BJData")
             CHECK_THROWS_WITH_AS(_ = json::from_bjdata(vR1), "[json.exception.parse_error.113] parse error at byte 6: syntax error while parsing BJData size: ndarray dimensional vector is not allowed", json::parse_error&);
             CHECK(json::from_bjdata(vR1, true, false).is_discarded());
 
+            // a dimension vector that opens another one is rejected where the
+            // nested '[' is read, rather than after it has been descended into
             std::vector<uint8_t> const vR2 = {'[', '$', 'i', '#', '[', '#', '[', 'i', 1, ']', ']', 1};
-            CHECK_THROWS_WITH_AS(_ = json::from_bjdata(vR2), "[json.exception.parse_error.113] parse error at byte 11: syntax error while parsing BJData size: expected length type specification (U, i, u, I, m, l, M, L) after '#'; last byte: 0x5D", json::parse_error&);
+            CHECK_THROWS_WITH_AS(_ = json::from_bjdata(vR2), "[json.exception.parse_error.113] parse error at byte 7: syntax error while parsing BJData size: ndarray dimensional vector is not allowed", json::parse_error&);
             CHECK(json::from_bjdata(vR2, true, false).is_discarded());
 
             std::vector<uint8_t> const vR3 = {'[', '#', '[', 'i', '2', 'i', 2, ']'};
@@ -3297,7 +3299,7 @@ TEST_CASE("BJData")
             CHECK(json::from_bjdata(vR3, true, false).is_discarded());
 
             std::vector<uint8_t> const vR4 = {'[', '$', 'i', '#', '[', '$', 'i', '#', '[', 'i', 1, ']', 1};
-            CHECK_THROWS_WITH_AS(_ = json::from_bjdata(vR4), "[json.exception.parse_error.110] parse error at byte 14: syntax error while parsing BJData number: unexpected end of input", json::parse_error&);
+            CHECK_THROWS_WITH_AS(_ = json::from_bjdata(vR4), "[json.exception.parse_error.113] parse error at byte 9: syntax error while parsing BJData size: ndarray dimensional vector is not allowed", json::parse_error&);
             CHECK(json::from_bjdata(vR4, true, false).is_discarded());
 
             std::vector<uint8_t> const vR5 = {'[', '$', 'i', '#', '[', '[', '[', ']', ']', ']'};
@@ -3305,12 +3307,25 @@ TEST_CASE("BJData")
             CHECK(json::from_bjdata(vR5, true, false).is_discarded());
 
             std::vector<uint8_t> const vR6 = {'[', '$', 'i', '#', '[', '$', 'i', '#', '[', 'i', '2', 'i', 2, ']'};
-            CHECK_THROWS_WITH_AS(_ = json::from_bjdata(vR6), "[json.exception.parse_error.112] parse error at byte 14: syntax error while parsing BJData size: ndarray can not be recursive", json::parse_error&);
+            CHECK_THROWS_WITH_AS(_ = json::from_bjdata(vR6), "[json.exception.parse_error.113] parse error at byte 9: syntax error while parsing BJData size: ndarray dimensional vector is not allowed", json::parse_error&);
             CHECK(json::from_bjdata(vR6, true, false).is_discarded());
 
             std::vector<uint8_t> const vH = {'[', 'H', '[', '#', '[', '$', 'i', '#', '[', 'i', '2', 'i', 2, ']'};
             CHECK_THROWS_WITH_AS(_ = json::from_bjdata(vH), "[json.exception.parse_error.113] parse error at byte 3: syntax error while parsing BJData size: ndarray dimensional vector is not allowed", json::parse_error&);
             CHECK(json::from_bjdata(vH, true, false).is_discarded());
+
+            // Every "#[" of this chain used to open another dimension vector
+            // and cost several stack frames before anything was rejected, so a
+            // long enough chain crashed the process (see #5104). The nested
+            // vector is refused where it is read, so the length is irrelevant.
+            std::vector<uint8_t> vRdeep = {'['};
+            for (std::size_t i = 0; i < 100000; ++i)
+            {
+                vRdeep.push_back('#');
+                vRdeep.push_back('[');
+            }
+            CHECK_THROWS_WITH_AS(_ = json::from_bjdata(vRdeep), "[json.exception.parse_error.113] parse error at byte 5: syntax error while parsing BJData size: ndarray dimensional vector is not allowed", json::parse_error&);
+            CHECK(json::from_bjdata(vRdeep, true, false).is_discarded());
         }
 
         SECTION("objects")