CVE-2023-23617 in Magento
Summary
by MITRE • 01/28/2023
OpenMage LTS is an e-commerce platform. Versions prior to 19.4.22 and 20.0.19 contain an infinite loop in malicious code filter in certain conditions. Versions 19.4.22 and 20.0.19 have a fix for this issue. There are no known workarounds.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/23/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-23617 affects the OpenMage LTS e-commerce platform, a widely used open-source solution that serves as a successor to Magento 1.x. This security flaw manifests as an infinite loop within the malicious code filter component, which operates under specific conditional circumstances that trigger the problematic behavior. The vulnerability represents a critical denial-of-service condition that can severely impact the availability and operational integrity of affected systems. The issue specifically impacts versions prior to 19.4.22 and 20.0.19, indicating that organizations running these older versions face significant risk of system degradation or complete service unavailability. The nature of the infinite loop suggests that the platform's code filtering mechanism becomes trapped in repetitive processing cycles when encountering certain malicious inputs or code patterns, effectively consuming system resources and preventing legitimate operations from proceeding.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from a flaw in how the platform processes and filters potentially malicious code within its input validation mechanisms. When the malicious code filter encounters specific patterns or conditions, it enters a state where it continuously reprocesses the same input or executes the same validation logic without proper termination conditions. This type of infinite loop represents a classic software design flaw that can be categorized under CWE-835, which deals with loops that do not terminate properly. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple resource exhaustion as it fundamentally disrupts the platform's core functionality, potentially allowing attackers to cause system-wide outages or service disruptions that can affect customer transactions, inventory management, and other critical e-commerce operations. The absence of known workarounds means that organizations cannot implement temporary fixes while planning upgrades, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous for production environments.
The operational impact of CVE-2023-23617 can be devastating for e-commerce businesses that rely on the OpenMage platform for their online operations. When an infinite loop occurs within the malicious code filter, it can cause complete system hangs or severe performance degradation that affects not only the filtering component but potentially the entire application stack. This vulnerability directly violates the availability principles of the CIA triad and can be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1499.004, which covers network denial of service attacks. The affected systems may experience complete unresponsiveness, requiring manual intervention and system restarts to restore normal operations. For businesses operating in high-traffic environments, this vulnerability could result in significant revenue loss, customer dissatisfaction, and potential damage to brand reputation. The vulnerability's exploitation could also serve as a precursor to more sophisticated attacks, as the system unavailability might be used to mask other malicious activities or create opportunities for additional compromises.
Organizations should immediately prioritize the upgrade to versions 19.4.22 or 20.0.19 to address this vulnerability, as these releases contain the necessary patches to prevent the infinite loop condition from occurring. The fix implemented in these versions likely involves proper termination conditions within the malicious code filtering logic, ensuring that the validation process completes successfully without entering repetitive processing cycles. Security teams should conduct comprehensive testing of the updated platform to verify that the fix does not introduce any regressions or compatibility issues with existing extensions or custom code implementations. Additionally, organizations should implement monitoring solutions that can detect unusual resource consumption patterns or system behavior that might indicate the presence of similar vulnerabilities. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the importance of maintaining current software versions and the critical need for regular security assessments to identify and remediate potential denial-of-service conditions that could compromise operational continuity and business availability.