CVE-2019-18904 : Exploit Details and Defense Strategies

An Uncontrolled Resource Consumption vulnerability has been discovered in various versions of rmt in multiple SUSE Linux Enterprise and openSUSE Leap distributions. This vulnerability allows remote attackers to trigger a Denial of Service (DoS) attack against rmt by requesting migrations.

Understanding CVE-2019-18904

This CVE involves an Uncontrolled Resource Consumption vulnerability in the rmt service across different SUSE Linux Enterprise and openSUSE Leap versions.

What is CVE-2019-18904?

CVE-2019-18904 is a vulnerability that enables remote attackers to conduct a Denial of Service (DoS) attack on the rmt service by sending migration requests.

The Impact of CVE-2019-18904

The vulnerability has a CVSS base score of 6.5, indicating a medium severity issue. It can lead to a high impact on availability, potentially causing service disruption.

Technical Details of CVE-2019-18904

This section provides more in-depth technical information about the vulnerability.

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability allows remote attackers to exploit the rmt service by triggering uncontrolled resource consumption through migration requests.

Affected Systems and Versions

SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15-ESPOS: rmt-server versions prior to 2.5.2-3.26.1
SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15-LTSS: rmt-server versions prior to 2.5.2-3.26.1
SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Public Cloud 15-SP1: rmt-server versions prior to 2.5.2-3.9.1
SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Server Applications 15: rmt-server versions prior to 2.5.2-3.26.1
SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Server Applications 15-SP1: rmt-server versions prior to 2.5.2-3.9.1
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15-LTSS: rmt-server versions prior to 2.5.2-3.26.1
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP 15: rmt-server versions prior to 2.5.2-3.26.1
openSUSE Leap 15.1: rmt-server versions prior to 2.5.2-lp151.2.9.1

Exploitation Mechanism

The vulnerability can be exploited remotely by sending specially crafted migration requests to the rmt service, leading to uncontrolled resource consumption and a potential DoS condition.

Mitigation and Prevention

To address CVE-2019-18904, follow these mitigation strategies:

Immediate Steps to Take

Apply the necessary patches provided by the vendor.
Monitor network traffic for any suspicious activity targeting the rmt service.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update and patch all software components to prevent known vulnerabilities.
Implement network segmentation to limit the impact of potential attacks.

Patching and Updates

Ensure that all affected systems are updated with the latest patches from the vendor to mitigate the vulnerability effectively.