CVE-2020-12603 : Security Advisory and Response

Envoy version 1.14.2, 1.13.2, 1.12.4, or earlier may consume excessive memory when proxying HTTP/2 requests or responses with many small data frames.

Understanding CVE-2020-12603

This CVE involves memory consumption issues in specific versions of Envoy.

What is CVE-2020-12603?

Envoy versions 1.14.2, 1.13.2, 1.12.4, or earlier are susceptible to consuming high memory levels when handling HTTP/2 requests or responses with numerous small data frames.

The Impact of CVE-2020-12603

The vulnerability can lead to memory exhaustion, potentially causing denial of service (DoS) conditions due to excessive memory usage.

Technical Details of CVE-2020-12603

This section provides technical insights into the CVE.

Vulnerability Description

Envoy versions 1.14.2, 1.13.2, 1.12.4, or earlier may experience memory consumption escalation during HTTP/2 data frame processing.

Affected Systems and Versions

Envoy version 1.14.2
Envoy version 1.13.2
Envoy version 1.12.4
Earlier versions of Envoy

Exploitation Mechanism

The vulnerability arises when handling HTTP/2 requests or responses containing numerous small data frames, particularly those with only 1 byte of data.

Mitigation and Prevention

Protecting systems from CVE-2020-12603 is crucial to maintaining security.

Immediate Steps to Take

Upgrade Envoy to a patched version that addresses the memory consumption issue.
Monitor memory usage closely to detect any abnormal spikes.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update and patch Envoy to mitigate known vulnerabilities.
Implement network-level protections to mitigate potential DoS attacks.

Patching and Updates

Apply patches provided by Envoy to fix the memory consumption problem.