CVE-2012-4067 in Eucalyptus
Summary
by MITRE
Walrus in Eucalyptus before 3.2.2 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (memory, thread, and CPU consumption) via a crafted XML message containing a DTD, as demonstrated by a bucket-logging request.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/07/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2012-4067 affects the Walrus storage service within the Eucalyptus cloud computing platform version 3.2.1 and earlier. This flaw represents a significant security weakness that enables remote attackers to execute denial of service attacks against cloud infrastructure components. The vulnerability specifically targets the XML processing mechanisms within Walrus, which is responsible for handling storage operations including bucket logging requests. The issue stems from insufficient input validation and improper handling of XML documents that contain Document Type Definitions.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when a malicious actor crafts a specially designed XML message that includes a DTD element. This crafted XML is then processed by the Walrus service during bucket-logging operations, which triggers a cascade of resource consumption behaviors. The attack vectors specifically target memory allocation, thread management, and CPU utilization patterns within the affected service. The vulnerability leverages the inherent characteristics of XML parsers that may be susceptible to resource exhaustion attacks when processing malformed or specially constructed DTD declarations. This type of attack falls under the category of XML external entity processing vulnerabilities and aligns with CWE-400 which addresses excessive resource consumption.
The operational impact of CVE-2012-4067 extends beyond simple service disruption to potentially compromise the entire cloud infrastructure availability. When exploited, the vulnerability causes sustained resource exhaustion that can render the affected Walrus service unusable for legitimate users while consuming substantial system resources. The memory consumption aspect can lead to system instability and potential crashes, while the thread exhaustion component can prevent the service from handling legitimate concurrent requests. CPU consumption spikes can affect overall system performance and may impact other services running on the same infrastructure. This vulnerability particularly affects cloud environments where availability and reliability are paramount, as it can be exploited to disrupt storage operations critical to cloud computing services.
Organizations utilizing Eucalyptus versions prior to 3.2.2 should implement immediate mitigations to protect their cloud infrastructure from this vulnerability. The primary recommended action is to upgrade to Eucalyptus version 3.2.2 or later, which includes patches specifically addressing the XML processing flaws. Network-level mitigations such as implementing XML filtering rules and restricting access to bucket-logging endpoints can provide additional protection. System administrators should also monitor for unusual resource consumption patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper input validation and secure XML processing practices in cloud computing environments. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to the denial of service technique category, specifically targeting resource exhaustion capabilities that can be used to disrupt availability of cloud services and infrastructure components.