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CVE-2022-2048: High Vulnerability in Eclipse Jetty

CVE-2022-2048 is a high-severity vulnerability in the Eclipse Jetty HTTP/2 server that can lead to a Denial of Service. Immediate patching is necessary to mitigate risks associated with resource exhaustion during invalid HTTP/2 requests.

HIGHCVSS 7.5 · Published July 7, 2022

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CVE-2022-2048 is a high-severity vulnerability affecting the Eclipse Jetty HTTP/2 server. This vulnerability allows an attacker to exploit a bug in the error handling process when an invalid HTTP/2 request is encountered. The bug prevents the proper cleanup of active connections and associated resources, leading to a Denial of Service (DoS) scenario. As a result, legitimate requests may not be processed due to resource exhaustion.

The CVSS score for this vulnerability is 7.5, classified as high severity. This score reflects the significant risk posed by the vulnerability, particularly in environments where the Jetty server is deployed. The attack vector is network-based, requiring no authentication or user interaction, making it relatively easy to execute an attack.

Organizations using affected versions of the Jetty server should take immediate action to patch this vulnerability. Failure to do so may result in service disruptions and the inability to handle legitimate traffic, impacting business operations.

Given the high potential impact, organizations should prioritize patching immediately.

Vulnerability Details

The official description of CVE-2022-2048 states that in the Eclipse Jetty HTTP/2 server implementation, error handling when encountering an invalid HTTP/2 request has a bug. This bug can lead to a Denial of Service scenario where there are not enough resources to process legitimate requests. The vulnerability affects multiple products, including Eclipse Jetty and various Debian distributions.

The CVSS version 3.1 vector string is CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H, indicating a high impact on availability with no impact on confidentiality or integrity. The affected products include various versions of Eclipse Jetty, Debian Linux, and components related to NetApp and Jenkins.

Technical Analysis

The root cause of this vulnerability stems from improper error handling within the Eclipse Jetty server when invalid HTTP/2 requests are processed. This oversight can leave connections and resources in a state that prevents them from being reused, leading to resource depletion.

The attack vector is network-based, with a low complexity of execution. Attackers do not need any privileges or user interaction to exploit this vulnerability. The impact on availability is high, as legitimate requests may be dropped or delayed due to exhausted resources.

In terms of required privileges, none are needed, and no user interaction is necessary to exploit the vulnerability. This makes it a concerning threat in environments where Jetty servers are deployed with public access.

Risk & Impact Analysis

Risk to organizations includes potential service outages and the inability to handle legitimate traffic effectively. Organizations using the Jetty server should understand the implications of this vulnerability, especially in high-traffic environments.

The blast radius of this vulnerability extends to all products utilizing the Eclipse Jetty server. Given the widespread use of Jetty in various applications and services, the potential impact could be significant. Organizations should assess their exposure and address this vulnerability with urgency.

Considering the CVSS score and the risk factors involved, organizations should address this vulnerability in their priority patch cycle.

Exploitation Status

Signal

Status

Known Exploit

No

Public PoC

No

Actively Exploited

No

Ransomware Use

No

Affected Versions

This vulnerability affects the following versions of the Eclipse Jetty server:

1. All versions prior to 9.4.47

2. Versions 10.0.0 to 10.0.8

3. Versions 11.0.0 to 11.0.8

Mitigation & Remediation

Organizations should prioritize patching by upgrading to the latest version of Eclipse Jetty that addresses this vulnerability. If upgrading is not possible immediately, consider implementing the following workarounds:

1. Monitor and limit the number of active connections to the server.

2. Implement rate limiting on incoming requests to prevent resource exhaustion.

3. Use network controls to restrict access to the Jetty server from untrusted sources.

For further assistance, organizations can consider employing penetration testing services to evaluate the security posture of their applications.

Detection Guidance

To detect potential exploitation of this vulnerability, organizations should monitor the following indicators:

1. Log entries indicating a high volume of invalid HTTP/2 requests.

2. Unusual spikes in resource usage, specifically CPU and memory.

3. Network anomalies related to incoming connection attempts.

AppSecure Threat Intelligence Insight

The long-term significance of CVE-2022-2048 highlights the importance of robust error handling in server implementations. This vulnerability represents a pattern of how failure to properly manage resources can lead to severe service disruptions.

Security teams should take this incident as a lesson to conduct thorough code reviews and testing, particularly focusing on edge cases that can lead to resource exhaustion. Regular security assessments can help identify similar weaknesses in their applications.

For more insights, organizations can explore our vulnerability management program and consider engaging in penetration testing methodology to enhance their security posture. Additionally, reviewing API security testing practices can further mitigate risks associated with improper input handling.

Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.

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