CVE-2024-30253 in solana-web3.js
Summary
by MITRE • 04/17/2024
@solana/web3.js is the Solana JavaScript SDK. Using particular inputs with `@solana/web3.js` will result in memory exhaustion (OOM). If you have a server, client, mobile, or desktop product that accepts untrusted input for use with `@solana/web3.js`, your application/service may crash, resulting in a loss of availability. This vulnerability is fixed in 1.0.1, 1.10.2, 1.11.1, 1.12.1, 1.1.2, 1.13.1, 1.14.1, 1.15.1, 1.16.2, 1.17.1, 1.18.1, 1.19.1, 1.20.3, 1.21.1, 1.22.1, 1.23.1, 1.24.3, 1.25.1, 1.26.1, 1.27.1, 1.28.1, 1.2.8, 1.29.4, 1.30.3, 1.31.1, 1.3.1, 1.32.3, 1.33.1, 1.34.1, 1.35.2, 1.36.1, 1.37.3, 1.38.1, 1.39.2, 1.40.2, 1.41.11, 1.4.1, 1.42.1, 1.43.7, 1.44.4, 1.45.1, 1.46.1, 1.47.5, 1.48.1, 1.49.1, 1.50.2, 1.51.1, 1.5.1, 1.52.1, 1.53.1, 1.54.2, 1.55.1, 1.56.3, 1.57.1, 1.58.1, 1.59.2, 1.60.1, 1.61.2, 1.6.1, 1.62.2, 1.63.2, 1.64.1, 1.65.1, 1.66.6, 1.67.3, 1.68.2, 1.69.1, 1.70.4, 1.71.1, 1.72.1, 1.7.2, 1.73.5, 1.74.1, 1.75.1, 1.76.1, 1.77.4, 1.78.8, 1.79.1, 1.80.1, 1.81.1, 1.8.1, 1.82.1, 1.83.1, 1.84.1, 1.85.1, 1.86.1, 1.87.7, 1.88.1, 1.89.2, 1.90.2, 1.9.2, and 1.91.3.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/17/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-30253 affects the Solana JavaScript SDK known as @solana/web3.js, representing a critical memory exhaustion issue that can lead to denial of service conditions. This vulnerability manifests when specific inputs are processed through the SDK, causing applications to consume excessive memory resources until system availability is compromised. The affected component serves as a foundational library for developers building Solana-based applications across various platforms including servers, clients, mobile applications, and desktop environments. The flaw essentially creates a condition where untrusted input processing can trigger memory allocation patterns that rapidly deplete available system resources, ultimately resulting in application crashes and service disruption. The vulnerability impacts a wide range of SDK versions, indicating it was present across multiple release branches and required extensive patching across the entire version spectrum.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-400, which categorizes memory exhaustion issues as a critical concern in software security. The flaw operates at the input validation and processing layer where the SDK fails to properly constrain memory usage when handling malformed or specially crafted inputs. This represents a classic resource exhaustion attack vector that can be exploited by malicious actors to disrupt services through memory consumption. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple application crashes to potentially affect entire service availability, particularly in environments where the SDK processes user-provided data without proper sanitization. Attackers can leverage this weakness by sending carefully constructed inputs that cause the SDK to allocate memory in a manner that exhausts system resources, leading to out-of-memory conditions that force application termination.
From an operational perspective, the vulnerability presents significant risk to organizations relying on Solana-based applications that accept untrusted input streams. The attack surface includes any service that utilizes @solana/web3.js for transaction processing, wallet interactions, or blockchain data validation where user input might be processed through the SDK. This vulnerability can be exploited in scenarios such as web applications accepting transaction parameters, mobile wallets processing user requests, or backend services handling blockchain data ingestion. The impact ranges from temporary service disruption to complete application unavailability, potentially affecting user experience and business continuity. Organizations must consider the cascading effects of such vulnerabilities, particularly in systems where multiple services depend on the same SDK components or where the SDK is used in high-throughput environments that amplify the memory consumption effects.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability involve immediate adoption of patched SDK versions as specified in the advisory, with particular attention to the comprehensive list of fixed releases. Organizations should implement robust input validation mechanisms that precede SDK processing to prevent malformed data from reaching vulnerable code paths. The remediation process requires thorough testing across all application components that utilize the SDK to ensure proper patch implementation and prevent regressions. Additionally, implementing memory monitoring and alerting systems can help detect abnormal resource consumption patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. Security teams should also consider implementing network-level controls to limit the impact of potential exploitation attempts and establish incident response procedures specifically tailored to handle memory exhaustion attacks. The vulnerability's widespread presence across multiple SDK versions underscores the importance of maintaining comprehensive patch management processes and regular security assessments to identify and remediate similar issues in other dependencies.