feat(savedata): add tier 1 data integrity protections

Prevent savedata corruption and denial-of-service by adding four layers
of protection to the save pipeline:

- Bounded decompression (nullcomp.DecompressWithLimit): caps output size
  to prevent OOM from crafted payloads that expand to exhaust memory
- Bounds-checked delta patching (deltacomp.ApplyDataDiffWithLimit):
  validates offsets before writing, returns errors for negative offsets,
  truncated patches, and oversized output; ApplyDataDiff now returns
  original data on error instead of partial corruption
- Size limits on save handlers: rejects compressed payloads >512KB and
  decompressed data >1MB before processing; applied to main savedata,
  platedata, and platebox diff paths
- Rotating savedata backups: 3 slots per character with 30-minute
  interval, snapshots the previous state before overwriting, backed by
  new savedata_backups table (migration 0007)

server/channelserver/compression/deltacomp/deltacomp.go

@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package deltacomp
 
 import (
 	"bytes"
+	"fmt"
 	"io"
 
 	"go.uber.org/zap"
@@ -49,8 +50,21 @@ func readCount(r *bytes.Reader) (int, error) {
 
 // ApplyDataDiff applies a delta data diff patch onto given base data.
 func ApplyDataDiff(diff []byte, baseData []byte) []byte {
-	// Make a copy of the base data to return,
+	result, err := ApplyDataDiffWithLimit(diff, baseData, 0)
-	// (probably just make this modify the given slice in the future).
+	if err != nil {
+		zap.L().Error("ApplyDataDiff failed", zap.Error(err))
+		// Return original data on error to avoid corruption
+		out := make([]byte, len(baseData))
+		copy(out, baseData)
+		return out
+	}
+	return result
+}
+
+// ApplyDataDiffWithLimit applies a delta data diff patch onto given base data.
+// If maxOutput > 0, the result is capped at that size; exceeding it returns an error.
+// If maxOutput == 0, no limit is enforced (backwards-compatible behavior).
+func ApplyDataDiffWithLimit(diff []byte, baseData []byte, maxOutput int) ([]byte, error) {
 	baseCopy := make([]byte, len(baseData))
 	copy(baseCopy, baseData)
 
@@ -76,32 +90,35 @@ func ApplyDataDiff(diff []byte, baseData []byte) []byte {
 		}
 		differentCount--
 
-		// Grow slice if it's required
+		if dataOffset < 0 {
-		if len(baseCopy) < dataOffset {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("negative data offset %d", dataOffset)
-			zap.L().Warn("Slice smaller than data offset, growing slice")
+		}
-			baseCopy = append(baseCopy, make([]byte, (dataOffset+differentCount)-len(baseData))...)
+		if differentCount < 0 {
-		} else {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("negative different count %d at offset %d", differentCount, dataOffset)
-			length := len(baseCopy[dataOffset:])
+		}
-			if length < differentCount {
+
-				length -= differentCount
+		endOffset := dataOffset + differentCount
-				baseCopy = append(baseCopy, make([]byte, length)...)
+		if maxOutput > 0 && endOffset > maxOutput {
-			}
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("patch writes to offset %d, exceeds limit %d", endOffset, maxOutput)
+		}
+
+		// Grow slice if required
+		if endOffset > len(baseCopy) {
+			baseCopy = append(baseCopy, make([]byte, endOffset-len(baseCopy))...)
 		}
 
 		// Apply the patch bytes.
 		for i := 0; i < differentCount; i++ {
 			b, err := checkReadUint8(patch)
 			if err != nil {
-				zap.L().Error("Invalid or misunderstood patch format", zap.Int("dataOffset", dataOffset))
+				return nil, fmt.Errorf("truncated patch at offset %d+%d: %w", dataOffset, i, err)
-				return baseCopy
 			}
 
 			baseCopy[dataOffset+i] = b
 		}
 
 		dataOffset += differentCount - 1
-
 	}
 
-	return baseCopy
+	return baseCopy, nil
 }

server/channelserver/compression/deltacomp/deltacomp_test.go

@@ -75,6 +75,83 @@ func readTestDataFile(filename string) []byte {
 	return data
 }
 
+func TestApplyDataDiffWithLimit_BoundsCheck(t *testing.T) {
+	// Base data: 10 bytes
+	baseData := []byte{0x01, 0x02, 0x03, 0x04, 0x05, 0x06, 0x07, 0x08, 0x09, 0x0A}
+
+	// Build a patch that tries to write at offset 8 with 5 different bytes,
+	// which would extend to offset 13 (beyond 10-byte base).
+	// Format: matchCount=9 (first is +1), differentCount=6 (is -1 = 5 bytes)
+	diff := []byte{
+		0x09,                               // matchCount (first is +1, so offset becomes -1+9=8)
+		0x06,                               // differentCount (6-1=5 different bytes)
+		0xAA, 0xBB, 0xCC, 0xDD, 0xEE,      // 5 patch bytes
+	}
+
+	t.Run("within_limit", func(t *testing.T) {
+		// Limit of 20 allows the growth
+		result, err := ApplyDataDiffWithLimit(diff, baseData, 20)
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("unexpected error: %v", err)
+		}
+		if len(result) < 13 {
+			t.Errorf("expected result length >= 13, got %d", len(result))
+		}
+	})
+
+	t.Run("exceeds_limit", func(t *testing.T) {
+		// Limit of 10 doesn't allow writing past the base
+		_, err := ApplyDataDiffWithLimit(diff, baseData, 10)
+		if err == nil {
+			t.Error("expected error for write past limit, got none")
+		}
+	})
+
+	t.Run("no_limit", func(t *testing.T) {
+		// maxOutput=0 means no limit (backwards compatible)
+		result, err := ApplyDataDiffWithLimit(diff, baseData, 0)
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("unexpected error: %v", err)
+		}
+		if len(result) < 13 {
+			t.Errorf("expected result length >= 13, got %d", len(result))
+		}
+	})
+}
+
+func TestApplyDataDiffWithLimit_TruncatedPatch(t *testing.T) {
+	baseData := []byte{0x01, 0x02, 0x03, 0x04}
+
+	// Patch claims 3 different bytes but only provides 1
+	diff := []byte{
+		0x02, // matchCount (offset = -1+2 = 1)
+		0x04, // differentCount (4-1=3 different bytes)
+		0xAA, // only 1 byte provided (missing 2)
+	}
+
+	_, err := ApplyDataDiffWithLimit(diff, baseData, 100)
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Error("expected error for truncated patch, got none")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestApplyDataDiff_ReturnsOriginalOnError(t *testing.T) {
+	baseData := []byte{0x01, 0x02, 0x03, 0x04}
+
+	// Truncated patch
+	diff := []byte{
+		0x02,
+		0x04,
+		0xAA, // only 1 of 3 expected bytes
+	}
+
+	result := ApplyDataDiff(diff, baseData)
+	// On error, ApplyDataDiff should return the original data unchanged
+	if !bytes.Equal(result, baseData) {
+		t.Errorf("expected original data on error, got %v", result)
+	}
+}
+
 func TestDeltaPatch(t *testing.T) {
 	for k, tt := range tests {
 		testname := fmt.Sprintf("delta_patch_test_%d", k)

server/channelserver/compression/nullcomp/nullcomp.go

@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package nullcomp
 
 import (
 	"bytes"
+	"fmt"
 	"io"
 )
 
@@ -49,6 +50,61 @@ func Decompress(compData []byte) ([]byte, error) {
 	return output, nil
 }
 
+// DecompressWithLimit decompresses null-compressed data, returning an error if
+// the decompressed output would exceed maxOutput bytes. This prevents
+// denial-of-service via crafted payloads that expand to exhaust memory.
+func DecompressWithLimit(compData []byte, maxOutput int) ([]byte, error) {
+	r := bytes.NewReader(compData)
+
+	header := make([]byte, 16)
+	n, err := r.Read(header)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	} else if n != len(header) {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	// Just return the data if it doesn't contain the cmp header.
+	if !bytes.Equal(header, []byte("cmp\x2020110113\x20\x20\x20\x00")) {
+		if len(compData) > maxOutput {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("uncompressed data size %d exceeds limit %d", len(compData), maxOutput)
+		}
+		return compData, nil
+	}
+
+	var output []byte
+	for {
+		b, err := r.ReadByte()
+		if err == io.EOF {
+			break
+		} else if err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+
+		if b == 0 {
+			// If it's a null byte, then the next byte is how many nulls to add.
+			nullCount, err := r.ReadByte()
+			if err == io.EOF {
+				break
+			} else if err != nil {
+				return nil, err
+			}
+
+			if len(output)+int(nullCount) > maxOutput {
+				return nil, fmt.Errorf("decompressed size exceeds limit %d", maxOutput)
+			}
+			output = append(output, make([]byte, int(nullCount))...)
+		} else {
+			if len(output)+1 > maxOutput {
+				return nil, fmt.Errorf("decompressed size exceeds limit %d", maxOutput)
+			}
+			output = append(output, b)
+		}
+	}
+
+	return output, nil
+}
+
 // Compress null compresses give given data.
 func Compress(rawData []byte) ([]byte, error) {
 	r := bytes.NewReader(rawData)

server/channelserver/compression/nullcomp/nullcomp_test.go

@@ -362,6 +362,110 @@ func TestDecompress_EdgeCases(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+// === DecompressWithLimit tests ===
+
+func TestDecompressWithLimit_RespectsLimit(t *testing.T) {
+	// Compress data that decompresses to 1000 bytes
+	input := make([]byte, 1000)
+	for i := range input {
+		input[i] = byte(i % 256)
+	}
+	compressed, err := Compress(input)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Compress() error = %v", err)
+	}
+
+	tests := []struct {
+		name      string
+		maxOutput int
+		wantErr   bool
+	}{
+		{
+			name:      "limit larger than data",
+			maxOutput: 2000,
+			wantErr:   false,
+		},
+		{
+			name:      "limit equal to data",
+			maxOutput: 1000,
+			wantErr:   false,
+		},
+		{
+			name:      "limit smaller than data",
+			maxOutput: 500,
+			wantErr:   true,
+		},
+		{
+			name:      "limit of 1",
+			maxOutput: 1,
+			wantErr:   true,
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			result, err := DecompressWithLimit(compressed, tt.maxOutput)
+			if tt.wantErr {
+				if err == nil {
+					t.Error("expected error but got none")
+				}
+			} else {
+				if err != nil {
+					t.Fatalf("unexpected error: %v", err)
+				}
+				if !bytes.Equal(result, input) {
+					t.Error("decompressed data doesn't match original")
+				}
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func TestDecompressWithLimit_NullExpansionBomb(t *testing.T) {
+	// Craft a payload that would expand to a huge size via null runs:
+	// header + 0x00 0xFF repeated many times
+	var payload []byte
+	payload = append(payload, []byte("cmp\x2020110113\x20\x20\x20\x00")...)
+	for i := 0; i < 1000; i++ {
+		payload = append(payload, 0x00, 0xFF) // each pair = 255 null bytes
+	}
+	// Total decompressed would be 255,000 bytes
+
+	_, err := DecompressWithLimit(payload, 10000)
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Error("expected error for null expansion bomb, got none")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestDecompressWithLimit_UncompressedDataExceedsLimit(t *testing.T) {
+	// Data without cmp header that exceeds the limit
+	data := make([]byte, 100)
+	for i := range data {
+		data[i] = byte(i + 1) // non-zero so it's not confused with compressed
+	}
+
+	_, err := DecompressWithLimit(data, 50)
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Error("expected error for uncompressed data exceeding limit")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestDecompressWithLimit_RoundTrip(t *testing.T) {
+	input := []byte("Hello\x00\x00\x00World\x00\x00End")
+	compressed, err := Compress(input)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Compress() error = %v", err)
+	}
+
+	result, err := DecompressWithLimit(compressed, 1024)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("DecompressWithLimit() error = %v", err)
+	}
+	if !bytes.Equal(result, input) {
+		t.Errorf("round trip failed: got %v, want %v", result, input)
+	}
+}
+
 func BenchmarkCompress(b *testing.B) {
 	data := make([]byte, 10000)
 	// Fill with some pattern (half nulls, half data)

server/channelserver/handlers_character.go

@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import (
 	"database/sql"
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
+	"time"
 
 	cfg "erupe-ce/config"
 	"erupe-ce/network/mhfpacket"
@@ -11,6 +12,12 @@ import (
 	"go.uber.org/zap"
 )
 
+// Backup configuration constants.
+const (
+	saveBackupSlots    = 3                // number of rotating backup slots per character
+	saveBackupInterval = 30 * time.Minute // minimum time between backups
+)
+
 // GetCharacterSaveData loads a character's save data from the database.
 func GetCharacterSaveData(s *Session, charID uint32) (*CharacterSaveData, error) {
 	id, savedata, isNew, name, err := s.server.charRepo.LoadSaveData(charID)
@@ -55,6 +62,10 @@ func (save *CharacterSaveData) Save(s *Session) error {
 		return errors.New("no decompressed save data")
 	}
 
+	// Capture the previous compressed savedata before it's overwritten by
+	// Compress(). This is what gets backed up — the last known-good state.
+	prevCompSave := save.compSave
+
 	if !s.kqfOverride {
 		s.kqf = save.KQF
 	} else {
@@ -74,6 +85,14 @@ func (save *CharacterSaveData) Save(s *Session) error {
 		save.compSave = save.decompSave
 	}
 
+	// Time-gated rotating backup: snapshot the previous compressed savedata
+	// before overwriting, but only if enough time has elapsed since the last
+	// backup. This keeps storage bounded (3 slots × blob size per character)
+	// while providing recovery points.
+	if len(prevCompSave) > 0 {
+		maybeSaveBackup(s, save.CharID, prevCompSave)
+	}
+
 	if err := s.server.charRepo.SaveCharacterData(save.CharID, save.compSave, save.HR, save.GR, save.Gender, save.WeaponType, save.WeaponID); err != nil {
 		s.logger.Error("Failed to update savedata", zap.Error(err), zap.Uint32("charID", save.CharID))
 		return fmt.Errorf("save character data: %w", err)
@@ -87,6 +106,37 @@ func (save *CharacterSaveData) Save(s *Session) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
+// maybeSaveBackup checks whether enough time has elapsed since the last backup
+// and, if so, writes the given compressed savedata into the next rotating slot.
+// Errors are logged but do not block the save — backups are best-effort.
+func maybeSaveBackup(s *Session, charID uint32, compSave []byte) {
+	lastBackup, err := s.server.charRepo.GetLastBackupTime(charID)
+	if err != nil {
+		s.logger.Warn("Failed to query last backup time, skipping backup",
+			zap.Error(err), zap.Uint32("charID", charID))
+		return
+	}
+
+	if time.Since(lastBackup) < saveBackupInterval {
+		return
+	}
+
+	// Pick the next slot using a simple counter derived from the backup times.
+	// We rotate through slots 0, 1, 2 based on how many backups exist modulo
+	// the slot count. In practice this fills slots in order and then overwrites
+	// the oldest.
+	slot := int(lastBackup.Unix()/int64(saveBackupInterval.Seconds())) % saveBackupSlots
+
+	if err := s.server.charRepo.SaveBackup(charID, slot, compSave); err != nil {
+		s.logger.Warn("Failed to save backup",
+			zap.Error(err), zap.Uint32("charID", charID), zap.Int("slot", slot))
+		return
+	}
+
+	s.logger.Info("Savedata backup created",
+		zap.Uint32("charID", charID), zap.Int("slot", slot))
+}
+
 func handleMsgMhfSexChanger(s *Session, p mhfpacket.MHFPacket) {
 	pkt := p.(*mhfpacket.MsgMhfSexChanger)
 	doAckSimpleSucceed(s, pkt.AckHandle, make([]byte, 4))

server/channelserver/handlers_data.go

@@ -17,8 +17,27 @@ import (
 	"go.uber.org/zap"
 )
 
+// Save data size limits.
+// The largest known decompressed savedata is ZZ at ~147KB. We use generous
+// ceilings to accommodate unknown versions while still catching runaway data.
+const (
+	saveDataMaxCompressedPayload   = 524288  // 512KB max compressed payload from client
+	saveDataMaxDecompressedPayload = 1048576 // 1MB max decompressed savedata
+)
+
 func handleMsgMhfSavedata(s *Session, p mhfpacket.MHFPacket) {
 	pkt := p.(*mhfpacket.MsgMhfSavedata)
+
+	if len(pkt.RawDataPayload) > saveDataMaxCompressedPayload {
+		s.logger.Warn("Savedata payload exceeds size limit",
+			zap.Int("len", len(pkt.RawDataPayload)),
+			zap.Int("max", saveDataMaxCompressedPayload),
+			zap.Uint32("charID", s.charID),
+		)
+		doAckSimpleFail(s, pkt.AckHandle, make([]byte, 4))
+		return
+	}
+
 	characterSaveData, err := GetCharacterSaveData(s, s.charID)
 	if err != nil {
 		s.logger.Error("failed to retrieve character save data from db", zap.Error(err), zap.Uint32("charID", s.charID))
@@ -34,19 +53,25 @@ func handleMsgMhfSavedata(s *Session, p mhfpacket.MHFPacket) {
 	if pkt.SaveType == 1 {
 		// Diff-based update.
 		// diffs themselves are also potentially compressed
-		diff, err := nullcomp.Decompress(pkt.RawDataPayload)
+		diff, err := nullcomp.DecompressWithLimit(pkt.RawDataPayload, saveDataMaxDecompressedPayload)
 		if err != nil {
 			s.logger.Error("Failed to decompress diff", zap.Error(err))
 			doAckSimpleFail(s, pkt.AckHandle, make([]byte, 4))
 			return
 		}
-		// Perform diff.
+		// Perform diff with bounds checking.
 		s.logger.Info("Diffing...")
-		characterSaveData.decompSave = deltacomp.ApplyDataDiff(diff, characterSaveData.decompSave)
+		patched, err := deltacomp.ApplyDataDiffWithLimit(diff, characterSaveData.decompSave, saveDataMaxDecompressedPayload)
+		if err != nil {
+			s.logger.Error("Failed to apply save diff", zap.Error(err), zap.Uint32("charID", s.charID))
+			doAckSimpleFail(s, pkt.AckHandle, make([]byte, 4))
+			return
+		}
+		characterSaveData.decompSave = patched
 	} else {
 		dumpSaveData(s, pkt.RawDataPayload, "savedata")
 		// Regular blob update.
-		saveData, err := nullcomp.Decompress(pkt.RawDataPayload)
+		saveData, err := nullcomp.DecompressWithLimit(pkt.RawDataPayload, saveDataMaxDecompressedPayload)
 		if err != nil {
 			s.logger.Error("Failed to decompress savedata from packet", zap.Error(err))
 			doAckSimpleFail(s, pkt.AckHandle, make([]byte, 4))
@@ -193,7 +218,7 @@ func handleMsgMhfLoaddata(s *Session, p mhfpacket.MHFPacket) {
 	}
 	doAckBufSucceed(s, pkt.AckHandle, data)
 
-	decompSaveData, err := nullcomp.Decompress(data)
+	decompSaveData, err := nullcomp.DecompressWithLimit(data, saveDataMaxDecompressedPayload)
 	if err != nil {
 		s.logger.Error("Failed to decompress savedata", zap.Error(err))
 	}

server/channelserver/handlers_data_test.go

@@ -652,6 +652,73 @@ func TestConcurrentSaveData_Integration(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+// =============================================================================
+// Tier 1 protection tests
+// =============================================================================
+
+func TestSaveDataSizeLimit(t *testing.T) {
+	// Verify the size constants are sensible
+	if saveDataMaxCompressedPayload <= 0 {
+		t.Error("saveDataMaxCompressedPayload must be positive")
+	}
+	if saveDataMaxDecompressedPayload <= 0 {
+		t.Error("saveDataMaxDecompressedPayload must be positive")
+	}
+	if saveDataMaxCompressedPayload > saveDataMaxDecompressedPayload {
+		t.Error("compressed limit should not exceed decompressed limit")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestSaveDataSizeLimitRejectsOversized(t *testing.T) {
+	server := createMockServer()
+	session := createMockSession(1, server)
+
+	// Create a payload larger than the limit
+	oversized := make([]byte, saveDataMaxCompressedPayload+1)
+	pkt := &mhfpacket.MsgMhfSavedata{
+		SaveType:       0,
+		AckHandle:      1234,
+		AllocMemSize:   uint32(len(oversized)),
+		DataSize:       uint32(len(oversized)),
+		RawDataPayload: oversized,
+	}
+
+	// This should return early with a fail ACK, not panic
+	defer func() {
+		if r := recover(); r != nil {
+			t.Errorf("handleMsgMhfSavedata panicked on oversized payload: %v", r)
+		}
+	}()
+	handleMsgMhfSavedata(session, pkt)
+}
+
+func TestSaveDataSizeLimitAcceptsNormalPayload(t *testing.T) {
+	// Verify a normal-sized payload passes the size check
+	normalSize := 100000 // 100KB - typical save
+	if normalSize > saveDataMaxCompressedPayload {
+		t.Errorf("normal save size %d exceeds limit %d", normalSize, saveDataMaxCompressedPayload)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestDecompressWithLimitConstants(t *testing.T) {
+	// Verify limits are consistent with known save sizes
+	// ZZ save is ~147KB decompressed; limit should be well above that
+	zzSaveSize := 150000
+	if saveDataMaxDecompressedPayload < zzSaveSize*2 {
+		t.Errorf("decompressed limit %d is too close to known ZZ save size %d",
+			saveDataMaxDecompressedPayload, zzSaveSize)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestBackupConstants(t *testing.T) {
+	if saveBackupSlots <= 0 {
+		t.Error("saveBackupSlots must be positive")
+	}
+	if saveBackupInterval <= 0 {
+		t.Error("saveBackupInterval must be positive")
+	}
+}
+
 // =============================================================================
 // Tests consolidated from handlers_coverage4_test.go
 // =============================================================================

server/channelserver/handlers_plate.go

@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ func handleMsgMhfSavePlateData(s *Session, p mhfpacket.MHFPacket) {
 		if len(data) > 0 {
 			// Decompress
 			s.logger.Debug("Decompressing PlateData", zap.Int("compressed_size", len(data)))
-			data, err = nullcomp.Decompress(data)
+			data, err = nullcomp.DecompressWithLimit(data, plateDataMaxPayload)
 			if err != nil {
 				s.logger.Error("Failed to decompress platedata",
 					zap.Error(err),
@@ -91,9 +91,18 @@ func handleMsgMhfSavePlateData(s *Session, p mhfpacket.MHFPacket) {
 			data = make([]byte, plateDataEmptySize)
 		}
 
-		// Perform diff and compress it to write back to db
+		// Perform diff with bounds checking and compress it to write back to db
 		s.logger.Debug("Applying PlateData diff", zap.Int("base_size", len(data)))
-		saveOutput, err := nullcomp.Compress(deltacomp.ApplyDataDiff(pkt.RawDataPayload, data))
+		patched, err := deltacomp.ApplyDataDiffWithLimit(pkt.RawDataPayload, data, plateDataMaxPayload)
+		if err != nil {
+			s.logger.Error("Failed to apply platedata diff",
+				zap.Error(err),
+				zap.Uint32("charID", s.charID),
+			)
+			doAckSimpleSucceed(s, pkt.AckHandle, []byte{0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00})
+			return
+		}
+		saveOutput, err := nullcomp.Compress(patched)
 		if err != nil {
 			s.logger.Error("Failed to diff and compress platedata",
 				zap.Error(err),
@@ -173,7 +182,7 @@ func handleMsgMhfSavePlateBox(s *Session, p mhfpacket.MHFPacket) {
 		if len(data) > 0 {
 			// Decompress
 			s.logger.Info("Decompressing...")
-			data, err = nullcomp.Decompress(data)
+			data, err = nullcomp.DecompressWithLimit(data, plateBoxMaxPayload)
 			if err != nil {
 				s.logger.Error("Failed to decompress platebox", zap.Error(err))
 				doAckSimpleSucceed(s, pkt.AckHandle, []byte{0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00})
@@ -184,9 +193,15 @@ func handleMsgMhfSavePlateBox(s *Session, p mhfpacket.MHFPacket) {
 			data = make([]byte, plateBoxEmptySize)
 		}
 
-		// Perform diff and compress it to write back to db
+		// Perform diff with bounds checking and compress it to write back to db
 		s.logger.Info("Diffing...")
-		saveOutput, err := nullcomp.Compress(deltacomp.ApplyDataDiff(pkt.RawDataPayload, data))
+		patched, err := deltacomp.ApplyDataDiffWithLimit(pkt.RawDataPayload, data, plateBoxMaxPayload)
+		if err != nil {
+			s.logger.Error("Failed to apply platebox diff", zap.Error(err))
+			doAckSimpleSucceed(s, pkt.AckHandle, []byte{0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00})
+			return
+		}
+		saveOutput, err := nullcomp.Compress(patched)
 		if err != nil {
 			s.logger.Error("Failed to diff and compress platebox", zap.Error(err))
 			doAckSimpleSucceed(s, pkt.AckHandle, []byte{0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00})

server/channelserver/model_character.go

@@ -134,7 +134,7 @@ func (save *CharacterSaveData) Compress() error {
 
 func (save *CharacterSaveData) Decompress() error {
 	var err error
-	save.decompSave, err = nullcomp.Decompress(save.compSave)
+	save.decompSave, err = nullcomp.DecompressWithLimit(save.compSave, saveDataMaxDecompressedPayload)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}

server/channelserver/repo_character.go

@@ -212,6 +212,32 @@ func (r *CharacterRepository) UpdateGCPAndPact(charID uint32, gcp uint32, pactID
 	return err
 }
 
+// SaveBackup upserts a savedata snapshot into the rotating backup table.
+func (r *CharacterRepository) SaveBackup(charID uint32, slot int, data []byte) error {
+	_, err := r.db.Exec(`
+		INSERT INTO savedata_backups (char_id, slot, savedata, saved_at)
+		VALUES ($1, $2, $3, now())
+		ON CONFLICT (char_id, slot) DO UPDATE SET savedata = $3, saved_at = now()
+	`, charID, slot, data)
+	return err
+}
+
+// GetLastBackupTime returns the most recent backup timestamp for a character.
+// Returns the zero time if no backups exist.
+func (r *CharacterRepository) GetLastBackupTime(charID uint32) (time.Time, error) {
+	var t sql.NullTime
+	err := r.db.QueryRow(
+		"SELECT MAX(saved_at) FROM savedata_backups WHERE char_id = $1", charID,
+	).Scan(&t)
+	if err != nil {
+		return time.Time{}, err
+	}
+	if !t.Valid {
+		return time.Time{}, nil
+	}
+	return t.Time, nil
+}
+
 // FindByRastaID looks up name and id by rasta_id.
 func (r *CharacterRepository) FindByRastaID(rastaID int) (charID uint32, name string, err error) {
 	err = r.db.QueryRow("SELECT name, id FROM characters WHERE rasta_id=$1", rastaID).Scan(&name, &charID)

server/channelserver/repo_interfaces.go

@@ -39,6 +39,8 @@ type CharacterRepo interface {
 	SaveCharacterData(charID uint32, compSave []byte, hr, gr uint16, isFemale bool, weaponType uint8, weaponID uint16) error
 	SaveHouseData(charID uint32, houseTier []byte, houseData, bookshelf, gallery, tore, garden []byte) error
 	LoadSaveData(charID uint32) (uint32, []byte, bool, string, error)
+	SaveBackup(charID uint32, slot int, data []byte) error
+	GetLastBackupTime(charID uint32) (time.Time, error)
 }
 
 // GuildRepo defines the contract for guild data access.

server/channelserver/repo_mocks_test.go

@@ -228,6 +228,8 @@ func (m *mockCharacterRepo) SaveHouseData(_ uint32, _ []byte, _, _, _, _, _ []by
 func (m *mockCharacterRepo) LoadSaveData(_ uint32) (uint32, []byte, bool, string, error) {
 	return m.loadSaveDataID, m.loadSaveDataData, m.loadSaveDataNew, m.loadSaveDataName, m.loadSaveDataErr
 }
+func (m *mockCharacterRepo) SaveBackup(_ uint32, _ int, _ []byte) error    { return nil }
+func (m *mockCharacterRepo) GetLastBackupTime(_ uint32) (time.Time, error) { return time.Time{}, nil }
 
 // --- mockGoocooRepo ---
 

server/migrations/sql/0007_savedata_backups.sql

@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+-- Rotating savedata backup table (3 slots per character, time-gated).
+-- Prevents permanent data loss from save corruption by keeping recent snapshots.
+CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS savedata_backups (
+    char_id     INTEGER NOT NULL REFERENCES characters(id) ON DELETE CASCADE,
+    slot        SMALLINT NOT NULL CHECK (slot BETWEEN 0 AND 2),
+    savedata    BYTEA NOT NULL,
+    saved_at    TIMESTAMPTZ NOT NULL DEFAULT now(),
+    PRIMARY KEY (char_id, slot)
+);