CVE-2024-22279: Improper Request Handling in Routing Release Leads to Degradation of Service Availability in Cloud Foundry Deployments

A major vulnerability has been discovered in the Cloud Foundry Routing Release versions v.273. up to and including v.297., identified by the CVE number CVE-2023-22279. This issue exists due to the improper handling of incoming requests, which could allow unauthenticated attackers to gradually degrade service availability at scale.

In this post, we'll discuss the details about CVE-2024-22279, along with the potential consequences, followed by the availability of a patch to remediate the issue. Finally, we'll explore some recommendations on simple steps that developers and administrators of Cloud Foundry deployments can take to minimize their chances of being affected.

Code Snippet

  some-function() {
    // ... This is code where vulnerability could exist ...

    // Example of vulnerable code:
    for (int i = ; i < numRequests; i++) {                                
      route(request[i], response[i]);                                     
      if (getRemainingCPU() < MINIMUM_CPU_THRESHOLD) {                   
        sleep(TIME_TO_RECOVER_CPU);                                     
      }                                                                   
    }

    // ... Further Code Implementation ...
  }

In the code snippet above, the sleep() function halts further processing, providing an opportunity for attackers to send multiple requests. This scenario will cause the code to go into a resource starvation state and lead to service degradation.

Exploit Details

A remote unauthenticated attacker can exploit this vulnerability by sending a large number of ill-formed and/or unexpected requests to cause an undue strain on the system. These requests can lead to higher CPU consumption and resource exhaustion, which could ultimately result in the degradation of service availability. This exploitation could especially detriment larger deployments at scale, as they're more vulnerable to experiencing resource exhaustion.

For detailed information about this vulnerability, you can refer to the official resources below

1. Cloud Foundry Security Advisory: CVE-2023-22279 Official Notice
2. Cloud Foundry Routing Release on GitHub: Routing Release Repository

Mitigation and Patch Information

Cloud Foundry has released an updated version, v.298., which addresses this vulnerability. It is recommended to update your deployments to this new version as soon as possible to mitigate the vulnerability.

Recommendations

- Always keep your Cloud Foundry deployments up to date with the latest security patches released by Cloud Foundry.
- Regularly monitor and analyze your system resources to identify unusual behaviors and signs of potential exploitation.
- Implement rate-limiting mechanisms in your deployments to prevent attackers from sending large amounts of requests, which could affect service availability.
- Consider using Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) to filter out malicious requests at the network perimeter, preventing them from reaching your application servers.
- Employ application monitoring and logging tools to establish a security baseline and detect unusual requests or patterns indicative of malicious activity.

Conclusion

The CVE-2024-22279 vulnerability in Cloud Foundry Routing Release is a serious threat to the availability of your deployments, and it's crucial that administrators take swift action to update their systems to the latest available version. Always stay vigilant and proactive in maintaining the security of your applications and infrastructure.

Timeline

Published on: 06/10/2024 20:15:12 UTC
Last modified on: 08/01/2024 22:43:34 UTC