CVE-2024-1104 in Webserv2
Summary
by MITRE • 02/22/2024
An unauthenticated remote attacker can bypass the brute force prevention mechanism and disturb the webservice for all users.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/13/2024
This vulnerability represents a critical weakness in authentication security mechanisms that allows unauthorized remote attackers to circumvent protective measures designed to prevent brute force attacks. The flaw exists within the web service's authentication system where the brute force prevention mechanisms fail to properly validate incoming requests, enabling attackers to repeatedly attempt authentication attempts without effective rate limiting or account lockout controls. The vulnerability is classified as unauthenticated, meaning that no prior credentials or access tokens are required to exploit the flaw, making it particularly dangerous as it can be targeted by any remote actor with network access to the service.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate validation of authentication request patterns and failure to properly track or limit consecutive failed authentication attempts. When legitimate users attempt to authenticate, the system should implement robust rate limiting mechanisms that detect and block suspicious activity patterns such as rapid successive login attempts. However, in this case, the system fails to properly identify or respond to these malicious patterns, allowing attackers to continue their attempts indefinitely. This weakness directly relates to common security flaws documented in CWE-307 and CWE-308, which address insufficient brute force protection mechanisms and inadequate authentication controls. The vulnerability creates a condition where attackers can systematically exhaust authentication attempts against the service, potentially leading to service disruption or unauthorized access if the system lacks additional protective measures.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service availability concerns to encompass potential account compromise and broader system security implications. When brute force prevention mechanisms are bypassed, legitimate users may experience service degradation or complete denial of access as the system becomes overwhelmed by malicious authentication attempts. Additionally, the vulnerability can be exploited to conduct distributed denial of service attacks against the authentication service itself, where attackers can flood the system with requests to exhaust resources and disrupt legitimate operations. The attack vector can be executed from any location with network connectivity to the targeted web service, making it difficult to trace and defend against using traditional network security measures.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing comprehensive authentication security controls including robust rate limiting, account lockout mechanisms, and intelligent threat detection systems. Organizations should deploy authentication systems that can detect and respond to suspicious behavior patterns through the use of machine learning algorithms or anomaly detection systems that can identify potential brute force attacks in real-time. The implementation of multi-factor authentication can provide additional protection layers that make unauthorized access significantly more difficult even if the brute force prevention mechanisms are bypassed. Network-level protections such as ip reputation filtering, authentication request throttling, and intrusion detection systems should also be deployed to monitor and block malicious authentication attempts. Security controls should align with industry standards including those defined in the mitre att&ck framework under the credential access and privilege escalation categories, ensuring that defensive measures address both the immediate vulnerability and broader attack patterns that may exploit similar weaknesses in the authentication infrastructure.