CVE-2023-1370 in Banking Virtual Account Management
Summary
by MITRE • 03/22/2023
[Json-smart](https://netplex.github.io/json-smart/) is a performance focused, JSON processor lib. When reaching a ‘[‘ or ‘{‘ character in the JSON input, the code parses an array or an object respectively. It was discovered that the code does not have any limit to the nesting of such arrays or objects. Since the parsing of nested arrays and objects is done recursively, nesting too many of them can cause a stack exhaustion (stack overflow) and crash the software.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/02/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-1370 resides within the json-smart library, a high-performance JSON processing component widely utilized in enterprise applications and web services. This library serves as a critical parsing mechanism for handling JSON data structures in various software systems, making its security implications particularly significant. The flaw manifests in the library's recursive parsing algorithm that processes nested JSON arrays and objects without implementing any safeguards against excessive nesting levels. When encountering opening brackets '[' or braces '{' in JSON input, the parser initiates recursive processing to handle the nested structures, creating a call stack that grows proportionally with the depth of nesting.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the absence of depth limits in the recursive parsing functions within json-smart's codebase. This design flaw aligns with CWE-674, which catalogs "Uncontrolled Recursion" as a common weakness in software systems. The recursive nature of the parsing algorithm means that each nested array or object element adds a new frame to the call stack, and without proper bounds checking, an attacker can craft malicious JSON payloads containing deeply nested structures. When the nesting depth exceeds the available stack space, the system experiences a stack overflow condition that results in application crashes or complete termination of the service. This behavior represents a classic denial of service vulnerability that can be exploited remotely through any interface that processes JSON input through the vulnerable library.
The operational impact of CVE-2023-1370 extends beyond simple service disruption, as it can affect any system that relies on json-smart for JSON processing, including web applications, backend services, API gateways, and microservices architectures. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by submitting carefully constructed JSON payloads containing hundreds or thousands of nested arrays and objects, causing the target application to consume excessive memory resources and eventually crash. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous in environments where json-smart is used in conjunction with user-provided input, such as REST API endpoints, web forms, or configuration management systems. This issue can be leveraged to perform distributed denial of service attacks or to gain unauthorized access to systems through application crashes that may reveal additional security weaknesses, as documented in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under techniques related to service disruption and resource exhaustion.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2023-1370 should prioritize immediate library updates to versions that implement proper nesting limits and depth checking mechanisms. Organizations must conduct comprehensive inventory assessments to identify all systems utilizing json-smart and ensure that patches are deployed across all affected environments. Additional protective measures include implementing input validation controls that limit the maximum nesting depth of JSON structures before they reach the parser, configuring application-level stack size limitations, and deploying monitoring systems that can detect unusual parsing patterns. Security teams should also consider implementing rate limiting and input sanitization at network boundaries to prevent exploitation attempts. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of proper resource management in recursive algorithms and underscores the necessity of adhering to security best practices such as those outlined in the OWASP Top Ten and NIST cybersecurity guidelines for preventing stack overflow conditions in application code.