CVE-2018-1041 in jboss-remoting
Summary
by MITRE
A vulnerability was found in the way RemoteMessageChannel, introduced in jboss-remoting versions 3.3.10, reads from an empty buffer. An attacker could use this flaw to cause denial of service via high CPU caused by an infinite loop.
VulDB is the best source for vulnerability data and more expert information about this specific topic.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/30/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-1041 resides within the jboss-remoting library version 3.3.10 and later, specifically affecting the RemoteMessageChannel component responsible for handling remote communication channels. This flaw represents a critical design oversight in the buffer handling mechanism that governs how the system processes incoming data streams. The vulnerability manifests when the RemoteMessageChannel attempts to read from a buffer that has been depleted or contains no data, creating a condition where the system enters an unintended operational state that can severely impact system stability and availability.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability stems from inadequate boundary checking and null pointer validation within the buffer reading logic. When the RemoteMessageChannel encounters an empty buffer during data processing, the implementation fails to properly detect this condition and instead falls into a state where it continuously attempts to read from the empty buffer without proper termination conditions. This creates an infinite loop scenario where system resources become consumed at an excessive rate, particularly CPU cycles, as the processor remains trapped in the repetitive buffer reading operation without any mechanism to break out of the loop or properly handle the empty state condition.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability presents a significant denial of service threat that can compromise system availability and performance. The infinite loop behavior causes sustained high CPU utilization, which can lead to system resource exhaustion and potentially affect other services running on the same system. Attackers can exploit this weakness by sending specially crafted network requests or messages that trigger the buffer reading path, causing the target system to consume excessive computational resources and effectively rendering the service unavailable to legitimate users. The impact extends beyond simple resource exhaustion as the continuous CPU consumption can also affect system responsiveness and potentially trigger additional cascading failures in dependent services.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-835, which specifically addresses infinite loops in software implementations, and represents a classic example of improper loop termination logic that can be exploited for denial of service attacks. The flaw also intersects with ATT&CK technique T1499.004, which covers network denial of service attacks through resource exhaustion, making it a significant concern for organizations relying on jboss-remoting for their enterprise communication infrastructure. Organizations utilizing affected versions of jboss-remoting should prioritize immediate patching and implementation of monitoring solutions to detect anomalous CPU usage patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. The remediation approach should include updating to patched versions of jboss-remoting, implementing proper buffer validation mechanisms, and establishing robust monitoring for unusual CPU consumption patterns that could signal exploitation of this vulnerability.