CVE-2024-44331 in RTSP server
Summary
by MITRE • 10/23/2024
Incorrect Access Control in GStreamer RTSP server 1.25.0 in gst-rtsp-server/rtsp-media.c allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service via a series of specially crafted hexstream requests.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/23/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-44331 represents a critical access control flaw within the GStreamer RTSP server component version 1.25.0. This issue resides in the gst-rtsp-server/rtsp-media.c file and specifically targets the handling of hexstream requests. The GStreamer project is widely utilized for multimedia processing and streaming applications across various operating systems and network environments, making this vulnerability particularly concerning for organizations relying on RTSP-based streaming infrastructure. The affected component serves as a core element in real-time streaming protocols, enabling media servers to handle requests from remote clients through the RTSP protocol.
The technical implementation flaw stems from insufficient validation of incoming hexstream requests within the RTSP media handling logic. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting specially formatted requests that bypass normal access control mechanisms. The vulnerability manifests as a denial of service condition where the server becomes unresponsive or crashes due to improper handling of malformed or malicious request sequences. This occurs because the rtsp-media.c implementation fails to properly validate request parameters and maintain proper state management during hexstream processing operations, allowing unauthorized sequences to disrupt normal server operations.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption to potentially compromise entire streaming infrastructures. Remote attackers can leverage this weakness to systematically degrade services without requiring authentication or privileged access, making it particularly dangerous in production environments where RTSP servers handle critical multimedia streams. The denial of service condition can affect multiple concurrent users and applications that depend on the affected RTSP server, potentially causing cascading failures in larger networked multimedia systems. Organizations using GStreamer-based streaming solutions in enterprise environments, content delivery networks, or surveillance systems face significant risk from this vulnerability, as it can be exploited to disrupt business-critical streaming operations.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2024-44331 should prioritize immediate patching of affected GStreamer RTSP server components to version 1.25.1 or later where the access control flaw has been addressed. Network administrators should implement defensive measures such as rate limiting and request filtering at network boundaries to reduce the effectiveness of exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 Access Control Issues, specifically targeting improper access control mechanisms that allow unauthorized operations. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this weakness maps to T1499.004 Network Denial of Service and T1566.001 Phishing, as it enables attackers to disrupt services and potentially gain further access through service disruption. Organizations should also consider implementing monitoring solutions to detect anomalous request patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts, while maintaining up-to-date threat intelligence on similar vulnerabilities in multimedia streaming components.