CVE-2021-22962 in Avalanche
Summary
by MITRE • 12/19/2023
An attacker can send a specially crafted request which could lead to leakage of sensitive data or potentially a resource-based DoS attack.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/13/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2021-22962 represents a significant security flaw that affects certain network services or applications. This weakness enables malicious actors to craft specific requests that can result in unauthorized data exposure or resource exhaustion attacks. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation or improper handling of request parameters within the affected system's processing logic. Attackers can exploit this flaw by sending malformed or specially constructed requests that bypass normal security controls and access sensitive information or consume system resources in ways that were not intended by the application's design.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability typically involves a failure in the application's request parsing or validation mechanisms. When the system processes the crafted request, it may inadvertently expose internal data structures, file system information, or other sensitive resources that should remain protected. The flaw often manifests when the application fails to properly sanitize or validate user-supplied input before using it in internal operations. This type of vulnerability falls under the category of information disclosure issues and can potentially be leveraged for resource exhaustion attacks where attackers consume system resources such as memory, CPU cycles, or network bandwidth to disrupt normal service operations. The vulnerability may be classified under CWE-20 as "Improper Input Validation" or CWE-400 as "Uncontrolled Resource Consumption" depending on the specific implementation details and exploitation vectors.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a substantial risk to organizations relying on affected systems. The potential for sensitive data leakage could expose confidential information including user credentials, personal data, business intelligence, or system configuration details. The resource-based denial of service component amplifies the threat by potentially allowing attackers to disrupt service availability through resource exhaustion attacks. Attackers may exploit this vulnerability to perform reconnaissance activities, gather intelligence for further attacks, or simply disrupt business operations. The impact extends beyond immediate data exposure to include potential regulatory compliance violations, financial losses, and reputational damage. Organizations may face increased risk of cascading attacks where initial exploitation leads to further compromise of connected systems or networks.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2021-22962 should include immediate patching of affected systems when vendor-provided fixes are available. Organizations should implement robust input validation controls that sanitize all user-supplied data before processing. Network segmentation and access controls can help limit the potential impact of exploitation by restricting access to vulnerable components. Monitoring and logging mechanisms should be enhanced to detect anomalous request patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. The implementation of web application firewalls or similar protective measures can provide additional layers of defense against crafted malicious requests. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other system components. Organizations should also consider implementing rate limiting and resource quota mechanisms to prevent resource exhaustion attacks. These defensive measures align with ATT&CK tactics including T1071.004 for application layer protocol and T1499 for resource hijacking, ensuring comprehensive protection against both information disclosure and denial of service vectors.