CVE-2014-6258 in Zenoss
Summary
by MITRE
An unspecified endpoint in Zenoss Core through 5 Beta 3 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (CPU consumption) by triggering an arbitrary regular-expression match attempt, aka ZEN-15411.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/11/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-6258 represents a critical denial of service flaw within Zenoss Core versions up to 5 Beta 3, specifically targeting the platform's handling of regular expression matching operations. This vulnerability resides in an unspecified endpoint that processes user input or system data, creating a scenario where malicious actors can exploit the system's regex engine to consume excessive CPU resources. The flaw operates by triggering arbitrary regular-expression match attempts that can be crafted to cause the system to perform computationally expensive operations, ultimately leading to system resource exhaustion and service unavailability.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-400, which categorizes improper handling of regular expressions as a weakness that can lead to resource exhaustion attacks. The vulnerability demonstrates how seemingly benign input processing can become a vector for denial of service when the system fails to properly validate or limit the complexity of regular expression patterns. Attackers can construct malicious regex patterns that, when processed by the vulnerable Zenoss Core endpoint, cause the system to enter into computationally expensive matching operations that consume disproportionate CPU cycles. This type of vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it can be triggered remotely without requiring authentication, making it an attractive target for automated attacks.
The operational impact of CVE-2014-6258 extends beyond simple service disruption to potentially compromise the entire monitoring infrastructure that Zenoss Core provides. When exploited, the vulnerability can cause the system to become unresponsive, preventing legitimate monitoring activities and alerting mechanisms from functioning properly. This creates a cascading effect where the very system designed to monitor and alert on infrastructure issues becomes unavailable, leaving organizations blind to actual problems occurring within their networks. The attack vector through an arbitrary endpoint means that multiple access points could be exploited, increasing the attack surface and making detection and mitigation more challenging for security teams.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing input validation and rate limiting mechanisms to prevent the exploitation of the regular expression matching endpoint. Organizations should consider implementing regex complexity limits and maximum match time constraints to prevent resource exhaustion attacks. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of proper sanitization of user inputs and the need for robust input validation at all system boundaries. Security teams should implement monitoring for unusual CPU usage patterns that could indicate exploitation attempts and establish automated response procedures to isolate affected systems. Additionally, the vulnerability underscores the necessity of keeping Zenoss Core installations updated to versions that have addressed this specific weakness, as the issue was resolved in subsequent releases through proper input handling and resource management improvements. This vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of secure coding practices and the potential for seemingly simple operations like regex matching to become significant security risks when not properly implemented with resource constraints and validation measures.