CVE-2015-8027 in Xcode
Summary
by MITRE
Node.js 0.12.x before 0.12.9, 4.x before 4.2.3, and 5.x before 5.1.1 does not ensure the availability of a parser for each HTTP socket, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (uncaughtException and service outage) via a pipelined HTTP request.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/28/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-8027 represents a critical denial of service flaw within Node.js runtime environments that affected multiple version streams including 0.12.x prior to 0.12.9, 4.x prior to 4.2.3, and 5.x prior to 5.1.1. This issue stems from the improper handling of HTTP socket parsers within the Node.js HTTP server implementation, creating a scenario where malicious actors can exploit the absence of proper parser availability to disrupt service operations. The vulnerability specifically targets the HTTP request processing pipeline where pipelined requests can trigger unhandled exceptions that lead to complete service outages.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the Node.js HTTP server's failure to maintain consistent parser availability for each socket connection. When multiple HTTP requests are sent in a pipelined fashion, the server attempts to process these requests sequentially but encounters situations where the parser required for handling subsequent requests becomes unavailable or improperly initialized. This gap in parser management results in uncaughtException events that cause the Node.js process to terminate unexpectedly. The flaw operates at the application level within the HTTP protocol handling layer, specifically affecting how the server manages concurrent request processing and socket lifecycle management.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability presents a significant threat to web applications and services running on affected Node.js versions, as it allows remote attackers to execute denial of service attacks with minimal resources. The attack requires only the ability to send specially crafted pipelined HTTP requests to the target service, making it particularly dangerous in production environments where service availability is critical. The resulting uncaughtException leads to complete service disruption, requiring manual intervention or process restart to restore normal operations. This vulnerability directly impacts the availability aspect of the CIA triad and can be categorized under CWE-400 as "Uncontrolled Resource Consumption" with specific implications for denial of service conditions.
The attack pattern associated with CVE-2015-8027 aligns with techniques documented in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the "Resource Exhaustion" tactic, where adversaries exploit application-level flaws to consume system resources or trigger process failures. The vulnerability can be exploited through standard HTTP client tools or automated attack frameworks that can generate pipelined request sequences. Security practitioners should note that this issue demonstrates the importance of proper exception handling and resource management in asynchronous event-driven architectures. The vulnerability also relates to CWE-704 as it involves improper handling of application-level exceptions that should be caught and managed appropriately to prevent service disruption.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should prioritize immediate patching of their Node.js installations to versions 0.12.9, 4.2.3, or 5.1.1 respectively, as these releases contain the necessary fixes to ensure proper parser availability for HTTP sockets. Additional mitigations include implementing proper input validation for HTTP request handling, deploying intrusion detection systems to monitor for unusual pipelined request patterns, and configuring application-level monitoring to detect uncaught exception occurrences. Network-level protections such as rate limiting and request queuing mechanisms can provide additional defense-in-depth measures. The vulnerability also underscores the importance of comprehensive testing for asynchronous processing scenarios and proper exception handling in Node.js applications to prevent similar issues from arising in future development cycles.