CVE-2024-25354 in domain-suffix
Summary
by MITRE • 03/28/2024
RegEx Denial of Service in domain-suffix 1.0.8 allows attackers to crash the application via crafted input to the parse function.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/29/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-25354 represents a regular expression denial of service flaw within the domain-suffix package version 1.0.8. This issue specifically affects the parse function which processes domain name inputs and is susceptible to maliciously crafted regular expressions that can cause excessive backtracking during pattern matching operations. The vulnerability stems from the package's inadequate handling of certain input patterns that trigger catastrophic backtracking in the underlying regular expression engine, leading to resource exhaustion and application instability. The affected component operates as part of the domain suffix parsing functionality, which is commonly used in web applications for validating and processing domain names, making it a critical security concern for systems relying on this package.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the exploitation of regular expression patterns that contain nested quantifiers with overlapping matches, creating exponential time complexity during pattern matching operations. When an attacker submits carefully constructed input strings to the parse function, the regular expression engine enters into a state of catastrophic backtracking where it repeatedly attempts different combinations of pattern matches, consuming CPU resources and memory at an accelerating rate. This behavior is particularly dangerous because the time complexity grows exponentially with input length, allowing attackers to cause significant performance degradation or complete application crashes with relatively small input payloads. The vulnerability is classified as a CWE-400 weakness under the category of Uncontrolled Resource Consumption, specifically targeting the denial of service attack vector.
The operational impact of CVE-2024-25354 extends beyond simple application instability to potentially compromise entire service availability and system integrity. Applications utilizing the domain-suffix package in web-facing components such as authentication systems, email validation services, or domain-based access controls become vulnerable to DoS attacks that can render services unavailable to legitimate users. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability through various attack vectors including API endpoints, form submissions, or any interface that processes domain name inputs. The vulnerability is particularly concerning in high-traffic environments where a single malicious request could consume all available CPU resources, leading to cascading failures across dependent services. This represents a direct violation of the availability principle in the CIA triad and can be categorized under ATT&CK technique T1499.004 for Network Denial of Service.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2024-25354 should focus on immediate remediation through package updates to versions that address the regular expression backtracking issue. Organizations should implement input validation and sanitization measures that limit the complexity and length of domain name inputs before they reach the vulnerable parse function. Additionally, rate limiting and request throttling mechanisms should be deployed to prevent abuse of the vulnerable functionality. The implementation of regex engine hardening techniques including time limits for pattern matching operations and memory constraints can provide additional protection layers. System administrators should also consider implementing monitoring and alerting for unusual resource consumption patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of regular security assessments and dependency management practices, as highlighted in industry standards such as NIST SP 800-160 and ISO/IEC 27001 requirements for secure software development lifecycle practices.