CVE-2016-10542 in ws
Summary
by MITRE
ws is a "simple to use, blazing fast and thoroughly tested websocket client, server and console for node.js, up-to-date against RFC-6455". By sending an overly long websocket payload to a `ws` server, it is possible to crash the node process. This affects ws 1.1.0 and earlier.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/17/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-10542 targets the ws library, a popular websocket implementation for node.js that adheres to RFC-6455 standards. This library serves as a critical component in websocket communication infrastructure, facilitating real-time data exchange between clients and servers in numerous web applications. The ws library's widespread adoption across various node.js applications makes this vulnerability particularly concerning from a security perspective, as it could potentially compromise the stability and availability of multiple systems simultaneously.
The technical flaw manifests through an insufficient input validation mechanism within the websocket server implementation. When a malicious client sends an excessively long websocket payload to a ws server running version 1.1.0 or earlier, the server fails to properly handle the oversized data structure. This condition triggers a buffer overflow or memory exhaustion scenario that ultimately leads to the complete termination of the node.js process. The vulnerability stems from the library's inability to gracefully manage payloads that exceed predetermined size limits, creating a denial of service condition that affects the entire application runtime environment.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption, as it represents a critical security weakness that can be exploited by remote attackers to cause system downtime. When a node.js process crashes due to this vulnerability, all active websocket connections are terminated, and the application becomes unavailable to legitimate users. This type of denial of service attack can be particularly damaging in production environments where websocket services are integral to application functionality, potentially affecting user sessions, real-time data synchronization, and overall system reliability. The vulnerability affects all versions of the ws library up to and including 1.1.0, indicating that a substantial portion of applications using this library would be susceptible to exploitation.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2016-10542 primarily involve immediate version upgrading to ws 1.1.1 or later, which includes proper input validation and size limit enforcement mechanisms. Organizations should implement comprehensive patch management procedures to ensure all affected systems are updated promptly. Additionally, network-level protections such as rate limiting and payload size monitoring can provide additional defense-in-depth measures. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-129, which addresses insufficient input validation, and can be categorized under ATT&CK technique T1499.2 for endpoint denial of service, emphasizing the need for both application-level and network-level defensive measures to protect against such exploits.
The broader implications of this vulnerability highlight the critical importance of proper input validation in network protocols and the potential for seemingly minor implementation flaws to create significant security risks. This case demonstrates how websocket libraries, despite their widespread use and apparent stability, can contain fundamental flaws that compromise system availability and require immediate attention from security teams and application developers.