CVE-2024-21538 is a high-severity vulnerability identified in the cross-spawn package that affects versions prior to 6.0.6 and between 7.0.0 and 7.0.5. This vulnerability allows attackers to leverage improper input sanitization, resulting in a Regular Expression Denial of Service (ReDoS). By crafting a well-structured and large input string, attackers can significantly increase CPU usage, potentially causing the program to crash. With a CVSS score of 7.7, the urgency for organizations to address this vulnerability is high.
The vulnerability has been published and is awaiting analysis, indicating that it remains critical for organizations using the affected versions to take immediate action. This vulnerability is classified under CWE-1333, associated with improper input sanitization, emphasizing the need for robust input validation in software development.
Organizations should prioritize patching immediately to mitigate this risk. Failure to address this vulnerability could lead to significant service interruptions and potential exploitation by malicious actors.
Given the exploitability of this vulnerability is rated high and no confirmed public exploit exists, it is crucial for organizations to stay updated on the latest patches and security advisories related to the cross-spawn package.
Vulnerability Details
The official description of CVE-2024-21538 states that versions of the package cross-spawn before 6.0.6, from 7.0.0 and before 7.0.5 are vulnerable to Regular Expression Denial of Service (ReDoS) due to improper input sanitization. An attacker can increase the CPU usage and crash the program by crafting a very large and well-crafted string.
With a CVSS score of 7.7, this vulnerability is classified as high severity. The affected product is the cross-spawn package, and the vulnerability has been published on November 8, 2024.
Technical Analysis
The root cause of CVE-2024-21538 stems from improper input sanitization within the cross-spawn package. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability through a network attack vector, requiring low attack complexity and no privileges or user interaction. The primary impact of this vulnerability is on availability, as successful exploitation can lead to a crash of the affected application.
An attacker crafting a specifically designed input string can leverage this vulnerability to cause excessive CPU usage, making the application unresponsive. There is no confidentiality or integrity impact associated with this vulnerability.
Risk & Impact Analysis
The risk to organizations includes potential service disruptions due to the inability of the affected application to handle normal workloads. This vulnerability presents a significant threat, especially for applications relying heavily on the cross-spawn package for process management.
Organizations should assess their exposure to this vulnerability by evaluating the use of the cross-spawn package in their applications. As this vulnerability is classified as high risk, organizations must prioritize addressing it in their patch management cycles.
The urgency for remediation is heightened due to the high exploitability rating. Organizations should ensure that they are monitoring for any updates or patches provided by the maintainers of the cross-spawn package to mitigate this risk effectively.
Exploitation Status
Signal | Status |
|---|---|
Known Exploit | No |
Public PoC | No |
Actively Exploited | No |
Ransomware Use | No |
Affected Versions
All versions prior to vendor patch, specifically versions before 6.0.6 and from 7.0.0 to 7.0.5 of the cross-spawn package are affected by this vulnerability.
Mitigation & Remediation
Organizations should patch to the latest version of the cross-spawn package to remediate this vulnerability. If an immediate patch is not available, consider implementing input validation and sanitization measures to mitigate the risk of ReDoS.
For further guidance on addressing security vulnerabilities, organizations can refer to penetration testing services and implement necessary security controls.
Detection Guidance
Organizations should monitor logs for unusual CPU spikes and application crashes. Behavioral anomalies indicating potential exploitation attempts should be flagged for further analysis.
AppSecure Threat Intelligence Insight
The long-term significance of CVE-2024-21538 lies in its demonstration of the importance of input validation in software development. This vulnerability highlights a pattern of improper input handling that can lead to significant availability issues.
Security teams should take this incident as a lesson to bolster their defensive practices, ensuring robust input validation mechanisms are in place. To enhance application security, organizations are encouraged to explore resources on penetration testing methodology, as well as vulnerability management program design to develop a proactive approach to security.
Lastly, continuous education on security best practices is essential, and organizations should consider engaging in API penetration testing to identify potential vulnerabilities in their application interfaces.
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
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