CVE-2004-2381 in HTTP Server
Summary
by MITRE
HttpRequest.java in Jetty HTTP Server before 4.2.19 allows remote attackers to cause denial of service (memory usage and application crash) via HTTP requests with a large Content-Length.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/05/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2004-2381 affects the Jetty HTTP Server version 4.2.18 and earlier, representing a significant security flaw that enables remote attackers to execute denial of service attacks through carefully crafted HTTP requests. This vulnerability specifically targets the HttpRequest.java component within the Jetty server implementation, which processes incoming HTTP requests and manages their associated data. The flaw manifests when the server receives HTTP requests containing excessively large Content-Length headers, which can cause the server to consume excessive memory resources and eventually crash the application. This type of vulnerability falls under the category of resource exhaustion attacks, where malicious actors exploit the server's handling of request parameters to consume available system resources.
The technical mechanism behind this vulnerability involves the improper validation and handling of HTTP Content-Length headers within the Jetty server's request processing pipeline. When a client sends an HTTP request with an unusually large Content-Length value, the Jetty server attempts to allocate memory resources proportional to this value, often without adequate bounds checking or resource limiting mechanisms. The vulnerability stems from the server's failure to implement proper input validation for the Content-Length header, which should be constrained to reasonable limits based on the expected request size and available system resources. This flaw is categorized as a memory management issue that can lead to heap exhaustion, ultimately causing the application to crash or become unresponsive. According to CWE classification, this represents a weakness in resource management where insufficient bounds checking leads to resource exhaustion.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption to potentially compromise the entire server infrastructure. Remote attackers can exploit this vulnerability to consume all available memory resources on the server, leading to complete denial of service for legitimate users. The crash condition can occur even with a single malicious request, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous as it requires minimal effort to execute. This vulnerability affects the availability aspect of the CIA triad and can be classified under the ATT&CK framework as a resource exhaustion technique, specifically targeting the availability of network services. The impact is particularly severe in environments where Jetty servers handle critical web applications or where the server is part of a larger distributed system, as the crash can cascade to other dependent services.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate patching of the Jetty server to version 4.2.19 or later, which contains the necessary fixes for proper Content-Length header validation. Organizations should implement input validation at the network level using firewalls or intrusion prevention systems to filter out requests with suspicious Content-Length values that exceed reasonable thresholds. Additionally, administrators should configure resource limits and monitoring on Jetty servers to detect unusual memory consumption patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. The implementation of proper rate limiting and connection handling mechanisms can also help reduce the impact of such attacks. Security teams should also consider implementing application-level firewalls or web application firewalls that can inspect and filter HTTP headers before they reach the vulnerable server components. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify similar issues in other web server implementations and ensure comprehensive protection against resource exhaustion attacks.