CVE-2019-11596 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

A vulnerability was discovered in memcached versions prior to 1.5.14 where the "lru mode" and "lru temp_ttl" commands could lead to a NULL pointer dereference, causing a denial of service.

Understanding CVE-2019-11596

This CVE involves a vulnerability in memcached versions prior to 1.5.14 that could be exploited to cause a denial of service.

What is CVE-2019-11596?

In memcached versions before 1.5.14, a vulnerability exists in the "lru mode" and "lru temp_ttl" commands, allowing an attacker to trigger a NULL pointer dereference, leading to a denial of service by sending specially crafted messages.

The Impact of CVE-2019-11596

Exploiting this vulnerability could result in a denial of service by causing a NULL pointer dereference in the process_lru_command function in memcached.c.

Technical Details of CVE-2019-11596

This section provides more technical insights into the vulnerability.

Vulnerability Description

A NULL pointer dereference was found in the "lru mode" and "lru temp_ttl" commands in memcached versions prior to 1.5.14, allowing for a denial of service attack.

Affected Systems and Versions

Product: memcached
Vendor: N/A
Versions Affected: All versions prior to 1.5.14

Exploitation Mechanism

The vulnerability can be exploited by sending specially crafted lru command messages to the process_lru_command function in memcached.c.

Mitigation and Prevention

Protecting systems from CVE-2019-11596 requires immediate actions and long-term security practices.

Immediate Steps to Take

Update memcached to version 1.5.14 or later to mitigate the vulnerability.
Monitor for any unusual activity that could indicate exploitation of the vulnerability.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update software and apply security patches promptly.
Implement network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure to potential attacks.

Patching and Updates

Ensure that memcached is regularly updated to the latest version to address security vulnerabilities.