CVE-2015-5168 in Traffic Server
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in the HTTP/2 experimental feature in Apache Traffic Server 5.3.x before 5.3.2 has unknown impact and attack vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2015-5206.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/15/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-5168 affects Apache Traffic Server version 5.3.x prior to 5.3.2, specifically within its HTTP/2 experimental feature implementation. This issue represents a security flaw that emerged in the experimental HTTP/2 support introduced in the 5.3.x release line, making it particularly concerning for organizations that may have enabled this experimental functionality in their production environments. The vulnerability's classification as unspecified indicates that the exact nature of the security weakness was not fully disclosed in the initial advisory, which is common with experimental features that may contain undiscovered flaws. The distinction from CVE-2015-5206 demonstrates that this represents a separate and distinct security concern within the same software version, emphasizing the complexity of managing experimental features in production systems.
The technical flaw exists within the HTTP/2 implementation that was marked as experimental in the 5.3.x release series, suggesting that developers and security professionals should be aware that experimental features may contain undiscovered vulnerabilities that could be exploited by attackers. The HTTP/2 protocol introduces several new mechanisms for handling connections and data transmission that differ significantly from traditional HTTP/1.1 implementations, creating additional attack surface areas that may not have been thoroughly vetted for security issues. This vulnerability's presence in the experimental HTTP/2 implementation indicates that the security review process for experimental features may have been insufficient, potentially leaving organizations exposed to attacks that could exploit the HTTP/2 implementation flaws.
The operational impact of this vulnerability remains unspecified in the initial description, but such issues in experimental HTTP/2 features could potentially allow attackers to disrupt service availability, gain unauthorized access to information, or manipulate data transmission between clients and servers. The experimental nature of the feature suggests that organizations implementing HTTP/2 support in their traffic servers may have been unknowingly exposed to security risks that could be exploited for various attack vectors including denial of service, information disclosure, or man-in-the-middle attacks. The fact that this vulnerability exists in a version that was considered experimental but still deployed in production environments highlights the importance of understanding the security implications of experimental features before deployment.
Organizations should prioritize updating to Apache Traffic Server version 5.3.2 or later to remediate this vulnerability, as the experimental HTTP/2 feature may contain other undiscovered security flaws that could be exploited by threat actors. The vulnerability's presence in the experimental HTTP/2 implementation underscores the need for organizations to carefully evaluate the security implications of experimental features and to ensure that proper security testing and review processes are applied before deployment in production environments. This case represents a typical scenario where experimental features that are not yet fully matured can introduce security risks that organizations may not anticipate, making proper vulnerability management and timely patching essential for maintaining secure network infrastructure. The vulnerability aligns with common patterns identified in the CWE database where experimental or incomplete implementations can introduce security weaknesses that are not present in stable, well-tested software components. Organizations should also consider implementing network monitoring and intrusion detection systems to detect potential exploitation attempts of this and similar vulnerabilities in their HTTP/2 implementations.