CVE-2022-42004 in WebCenter Portal
Summary
by MITRE • 10/02/2022
In FasterXML jackson-databind before 2.13.4, resource exhaustion can occur because of a lack of a check in BeanDeserializer._deserializeFromArray to prevent use of deeply nested arrays. An application is vulnerable only with certain customized choices for deserialization.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/10/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-42004 affects the FasterXML jackson-databind library version 2.13.3 and earlier, representing a critical resource exhaustion issue that can lead to denial of service conditions. This flaw resides within the BeanDeserializer class specifically in the _deserializeFromArray method, which fails to implement proper validation against deeply nested array structures during deserialization processes. The vulnerability manifests when applications utilize certain customized deserialization configurations, making it particularly insidious as it requires specific conditions to be exploitable rather than affecting all implementations uniformly.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation within the deserialization pipeline, where the system processes array structures without implementing depth checks or recursion limits. When maliciously crafted JSON payloads contain deeply nested arrays, the deserializer enters into recursive processing patterns that consume excessive memory and CPU resources. This behavior aligns with CWE-400, which categorizes resource exhaustion vulnerabilities as those that allow attackers to consume system resources through malformed input processing. The vulnerability operates at the application level where the deserialization logic does not enforce reasonable limits on array nesting depth, creating a path for attackers to craft payloads that cause the system to allocate excessive memory structures.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risks to applications that process untrusted JSON input through jackson-databind, particularly those implementing custom deserialization logic. The impact extends beyond simple denial of service as the resource exhaustion can lead to system instability, application crashes, and potentially cascading failures in larger distributed systems. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by submitting carefully constructed JSON payloads containing deeply nested arrays that cause the deserializer to consume increasing amounts of memory with each recursive processing step. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this as a resource exhaustion attack under the technique of "Resource Exhaustion" (T1499), where attackers leverage application processing weaknesses to consume computational resources.
The exploitation of CVE-2022-42004 requires specific conditions to be effective, as the vulnerability only manifests when applications have customized deserialization configurations that enable the problematic code path. This characteristic makes the vulnerability less widespread than typical denial of service flaws, but more targeted and potentially more damaging when exploited against vulnerable applications. Organizations using jackson-databind in their applications should prioritize immediate patching to version 2.13.4 or later, which implements proper depth checking mechanisms to prevent excessive array nesting during deserialization. Additionally, implementing input validation at the application level and monitoring deserialization processes can provide additional defense layers against potential exploitation attempts. The fix addresses the core issue by introducing bounds checking that prevents the deserializer from processing arrays beyond a predetermined depth threshold, thereby mitigating the risk of resource exhaustion attacks.