CVE-2019-9512 : Vulnerability Insights and Analysis

Understanding CVE-2019-9512

What is CVE-2019-9512?

Certain implementations of HTTP/2 may have a vulnerability where they can be exploited by ping floods, potentially resulting in a denial of service. In this attack, the perpetrator continuously sends pings to an HTTP/2 peer, causing the peer to create a backlog of response messages internally. The extent of the impact on system resources such as CPU and memory depends on how effectively this data is queued.

The Impact of CVE-2019-9512

This vulnerability has a high severity level with a CVSS base score of 7.5. The attack vector is through the network, and it can have a significant impact on availability, potentially leading to a denial of service. The attack complexity is low, and no user interaction or privileges are required.

Technical Details of CVE-2019-9512

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability in certain HTTP/2 implementations allows for ping floods, leading to a denial of service. Attackers can exploit this by continuously sending pings to an HTTP/2 peer, causing resource consumption and potential service disruption.

Affected Systems and Versions

Product: Not applicable
Vendor: Not applicable
Versions: Not applicable

Exploitation Mechanism

Attack Complexity: Low
Attack Vector: Network
Availability Impact: High
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality Impact: None
Integrity Impact: None

Mitigation and Prevention

Immediate Steps to Take

Implement network-level protections to detect and block excessive ping requests.
Monitor network traffic for unusual patterns that may indicate a ping flood attack.

Long-Term Security Practices

Keep HTTP/2 implementations updated with the latest security patches.
Regularly review and adjust network configurations to enhance resilience against denial of service attacks.

Patching and Updates

Stay informed about security advisories from relevant vendors and promptly apply patches to address known vulnerabilities.