CVE-2022-3295 in rdiffweb
Summary
by MITRE • 09/26/2022
Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling in GitHub repository ikus060/rdiffweb prior to 2.4.8.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/24/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-3295 represents a critical resource management flaw in the rdiffweb repository management system developed by ikus060. This issue manifests as an improper allocation of system resources without adequate limits or throttling mechanisms, creating a potential avenue for resource exhaustion attacks. The vulnerability affects versions prior to 2.4.8, indicating that users operating older iterations of this web-based backup and synchronization tool remain exposed to significant security risks. The rdiffweb system serves as a web interface for managing rdiff-backup repositories, making it a critical component in backup infrastructure where resource consumption directly impacts system stability and availability.
The technical flaw stems from the absence of proper resource limits and throttling controls within the application's resource allocation logic. When users interact with the system through various operations such as file uploads, backup creation, or repository management tasks, the application fails to implement adequate constraints on memory usage, processing time, or concurrent operations. This lack of resource management allows malicious actors or even legitimate users with malicious intent to consume excessive system resources, potentially leading to denial of service conditions. The vulnerability specifically impacts how the system handles resource allocation during backup operations, file transfers, and repository synchronization processes where computational and memory resources are consumed without bounds.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple performance degradation to encompass potential system compromise and service disruption. Attackers could exploit this weakness by initiating multiple concurrent operations or by uploading exceptionally large files that consume disproportionate system resources. Such attacks could result in system crashes, unresponsiveness, or complete service outages affecting legitimate users and potentially exposing the underlying infrastructure to additional attack vectors. The resource exhaustion could also impact other services running on the same system, creating cascading failures that extend beyond the immediate application boundaries. Organizations relying on rdiffweb for backup management face elevated risks, particularly in environments where backup operations are frequent or involve large datasets.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2022-3295 should prioritize immediate remediation through the deployment of version 2.4.8 or later, which includes proper resource limiting and throttling mechanisms. System administrators should implement additional monitoring and alerting for resource consumption patterns to detect anomalous usage that might indicate exploitation attempts. Network-level controls such as rate limiting and connection pooling can provide additional layers of protection while the primary fix is implemented. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-770, which addresses allocation of resources without limits or throttling, and represents a classic example of how insufficient resource management can lead to denial of service conditions. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability could be leveraged as part of a broader attack chain under the technique of resource exhaustion, potentially leading to system compromise or service disruption that enables further exploitation. Organizations should conduct thorough testing of the patched version to ensure that legitimate functionality remains intact while the resource management controls are properly enforced.