Wireshark-dev: Re: [Wireshark-dev] What is the best way to locate [GLib CRITICAL] -- g_string_f

From: Guy Harris <gharris@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: Fri, 23 Dec 2022 22:40:06 -0800
On Dec 23, 2022, at 4:17 PM, <jayrturner99@xxxxxxxxx> <jayrturner99@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> I run Wireshark 4.1.0 with my plugin dissector. It runs well, dissects packets, reports issues, and behaves as expected. I can load a capture file, that has packets of my protocol, exit Wireshark, and get no output to the command line. I can load another capture file, that has packets of my protocol, and get many many errors like:
> ** (wireshark:nnnnn) hh:mm:ss.fffffff [GLib CRITICAL] -- g_string_free: assertion 'string != NULL' failed
> where:
> 	• nnnnn is always the same number within a single run of Wireshark, and changes from run to run.

It's the process ID of the process running Wireshark.

> 	• The timestamps can be 0.01 to 0.03 seconds apart and give me more than 60 in a second.

The code that's trying to free something "pointed to" by a null pointer is being executed many times within a second.

> 	• The list is output whenever I run a display filter or clear the display filter.

The packets are redirected when that happens, so it's probably happening within a dissector.

> 	• The list seems to be the same size whether the filter returns all packets, or some, or even two.

When a display filter is applied, it's applied to *all* packets.

> Maybe it is getting this error in my dissector or in another one.

Almost certainly.  My guess is that it's your dissector; what happens if you remove your dissector?

> Is the error saying that it is trying to free a non-null string that has already been freed?

The beginning of g_string_free() is

	gchar *
	g_string_free (GString  *string,
	               gboolean  free_segment)
	{
	  gchar *segment; 

	  g_return_val_if_fail (string != NULL, NULL);

and the g_return_val_if_fail() call is what's failing.

> In any event, are there any recommendations for trying to locate this error?

Look for all places in your code where you're calling g_string_free() and make sure they can't be called with a null pointer.