CVE-2024-23979 in BIG-IP
Summary
by MITRE • 02/14/2024
When SSL Client Certificate LDAP or Certificate Revocation List Distribution Point (CRLDP) authentication profile is configured on a virtual server, undisclosed requests can cause an increase in CPU resource utilization.
Note: Software versions which have reached End of Technical Support (EoTS) are not evaluated
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/24/2025
This vulnerability affects systems implementing SSL client certificate authentication within LDAP or Certificate Revocation List Distribution Point contexts on virtual servers. The issue manifests when undisclosed requests are processed through these authentication profiles, leading to sustained increases in CPU resource consumption. The vulnerability represents a denial of service condition that can degrade system performance and potentially impact availability of critical services relying on these authentication mechanisms. The root cause appears to be related to how the system handles specific request patterns during SSL client certificate validation processes, particularly when these requests are not properly authenticated or validated.
The technical flaw stems from inadequate resource management during authentication processing for SSL client certificates in LDAP or CRLDP contexts. When undisclosed requests are received, the system appears to enter a processing loop or inefficient resource allocation pattern that consumes excessive CPU cycles. This behavior suggests a lack of proper input validation or request handling within the authentication profile processing logic. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and affects the system's ability to efficiently process legitimate authentication requests while being overwhelmed by the resource-intensive processing of malformed or unexpected requests. The issue is specifically tied to virtual server configurations that utilize SSL client certificate authentication profiles, indicating a configuration-specific weakness rather than a fundamental protocol flaw.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple performance degradation to potentially compromise system availability and service integrity. Attackers could exploit this weakness by sending crafted requests that trigger the excessive CPU consumption, leading to service disruption for legitimate users. The vulnerability affects systems where SSL client certificate authentication is critical for access control, particularly in enterprise environments where LDAP or CRLDP authentication profiles are commonly implemented. Organizations relying on these authentication mechanisms may experience cascading effects on dependent services as CPU resources become consumed, potentially leading to complete service outages. The vulnerability's impact is particularly concerning in high-traffic environments where the system's capacity to handle legitimate requests is already strained.
Mitigation strategies should focus on implementing request rate limiting and input validation controls to prevent the exploitation of this CPU consumption vulnerability. Organizations should consider implementing monitoring solutions that can detect unusual CPU utilization patterns and automatically trigger alerts when resource consumption exceeds normal thresholds. Network segmentation and access controls can help limit the exposure of vulnerable systems to potentially malicious requests. The implementation of proper logging and audit mechanisms will aid in identifying the specific request patterns that trigger the vulnerability. Security patches or configuration updates from the vendor should be applied promptly when available, and system administrators should consider temporarily disabling SSL client certificate authentication profiles if immediate remediation is not possible. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-400 weakness category related to resource exhaustion and potentially maps to ATT&CK technique T1499.004 for resource exhaustion attacks targeting application availability.