CVE-2019-18214 : Exploit Details and Defense Strategies

The Video_Converter app 0.1.0 for Nextcloud is susceptible to a denial of service vulnerability due to multiple concurrent conversions, leading to high CPU and memory consumption.

Understanding CVE-2019-18214

This CVE involves a vulnerability in the Video_Converter app for Nextcloud that can be exploited to cause denial of service by overwhelming system resources.

What is CVE-2019-18214?

The vulnerability in the Video_Converter app 0.1.0 for Nextcloud allows attackers to trigger a denial of service condition by initiating multiple conversions simultaneously, causing excessive CPU and memory usage. This issue arises from the lack of queuing the workload for sequential execution, resulting in the concurrent execution of numerous FFmpeg processes.

The Impact of CVE-2019-18214

The impact of this vulnerability is rated as high, with a CVSS base score of 7.7. The attack vector is through the network, with a low attack complexity. The exploitation of this vulnerability can lead to a significant impact on the availability of the affected system.

Technical Details of CVE-2019-18214

This section provides detailed technical information about the CVE.

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability in the Video_Converter app 0.1.0 for Nextcloud allows for denial of service attacks by consuming excessive CPU and memory resources through the simultaneous execution of multiple FFmpeg processes.

Affected Systems and Versions

Product: Not applicable
Vendor: Not applicable
Versions: All versions of the Video_Converter app 0.1.0 for Nextcloud are affected.

Exploitation Mechanism

The vulnerability is exploited by initiating multiple conversions concurrently, overwhelming the system with numerous FFmpeg processes running simultaneously without queuing the workload for sequential execution.

Mitigation and Prevention

Protecting systems from CVE-2019-18214 requires immediate actions and long-term security practices.

Immediate Steps to Take

Disable or restrict access to the Video_Converter app until a patch is available.
Monitor system resources for unusual spikes in CPU and memory usage.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update and patch the Video_Converter app to address security vulnerabilities.
Implement network segmentation to limit the impact of potential denial of service attacks.

Patching and Updates

Apply patches provided by Nextcloud for the Video_Converter app to mitigate the vulnerability and prevent exploitation.