gchq / gchq/CyberChef

Bug report: Protobuf imprecision on uint64

Open
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bug
Dominant language
JavaScript
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Description

**Describe the bug**
It seems that for unsigned 64-bit integers that are too large (didn't characterize them), Protobuf Encode and Protobuf Decode provide wrong outputs.

**To Reproduce**
Example:
https://gchq.github.io/CyberChef/#recipe=From_Hex('Auto')Protobuf_Decode('message%20x%20%7B%5Cn%20%20required%20uint64%20a%20%3D%201;%5Cn%7D',false,true)&input=MDhhNmU4ZGFiMWZiZjNkN2RkNzc
returns
```json
{
"a (uint64)": 8627594650719794000
}
```

**Expected behaviour**
It should output
```json
{
"a (uint64)": 8627594650719794214
}
```

**Desktop**
- CyberChef version: 9.39.1

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

Research direction

Start with the Protobuf_Decode and Protobuf Encode operations and reproduce the linked CyberChef example using the uint64 value shown in the report. Trace how large unsigned 64-bit values are parsed and represented, then verify that the reported input produces 8627594650719794214 rather than the imprecise result.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
javascript
Domain
data
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
3/5
Estimated time
1-2 days
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
38/100

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