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Low 41 Bitcoin

Reduce the stack frame of key_orderings_count

Public commit record

What the developer wrote

Authored by Salvatore Ingala

68/100 · Adequate
Reduce the stack frame of key_orderings_count

The memory occupation of key_orderings_count was quadratic in
CT_MAX_KEYEXPRS.

A more careful rewrite only require linear memory, saving several
kb of RAM.

More saving comes from narrowed some types to smaller integers.
✓ Descriptive subject✓ Names a concrete action or component✓ Provides detailed explanatory context
The short version

What changed, and why it matters

This commit rewrites a function in the Ledger Bitcoin app to use less memory. The old code stored a large table of key-derivation pairs for every possible class of key expression, which grew quadratically with the maximum number of key expressions. The new code stores only the class assignment for each key expression and rebuilds the pair list one class at a time, cutting stack usage by several kilobytes. The change also narrows some integer types. There is no explicit security bug fixed in the commit message, but on memory-constrained hardware large stack frames can contribute to crashes or stack overflows.

Recommended action

Treat as a defensive hardening change. Review that the new class_of/class_repr logic preserves the original canonical-check semantics, that the removed bounds checks are indeed unnecessary (n_classes <= n <= CT_MAX_KEYEXPRS and n_pairs per class <= n), and that the narrowed integer types cannot overflow under any reachable input. Consider whether the saved stack headroom should be accompanied by stack canaries or static analysis to prevent future regressions.

Security signals we found

01

Large stack allocation removed (quadratic memory reduced to linear)

02

Integer types narrowed based on stated bounds

03

No explicit security claim in commit message or diff comments

04

No CVE, advisory, or researcher attribution present in supplied materials

Risk score

Why this scored 41/100

Our methodology →
Potential impact 12/30
Exploitability 8/25
Stealth signal 6/15
Affected reach 7/15
Confidence 5/10
Evidence quality 3/5
Human-validated context

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