CVE-2020-16843 : Security Advisory and Response

Firecracker 0.20.x before 0.20.1 and 0.21.x before 0.21.2 can experience network stack freezing under heavy ingress traffic, leading to denial of service and availability issues.

Understanding CVE-2020-16843

In this CVE, Firecracker versions 0.20.x before 0.20.1 and 0.21.x before 0.21.2 are susceptible to network stack freezing when subjected to high ingress traffic.

What is CVE-2020-16843?

This vulnerability in Firecracker can cause the network stack to freeze, resulting in denial of service for the microVM with a single network interface and availability problems for the affected microVM network interface.

The Impact of CVE-2020-16843

The impact includes denial of service on the microVM and availability issues for the network interface where the problem occurs.

Technical Details of CVE-2020-16843

Firecracker 0.20.x before 0.20.1 and 0.21.x before 0.21.2 are affected by this vulnerability.

Vulnerability Description

The network stack can freeze under heavy ingress traffic, leading to denial of service and availability problems.

Affected Systems and Versions

Firecracker 0.20.x before 0.20.1
Firecracker 0.21.x before 0.21.2

Exploitation Mechanism

The vulnerability is triggered by heavy ingress traffic, causing the network stack to freeze.

Mitigation and Prevention

To address CVE-2020-16843, follow these steps:

Immediate Steps to Take

Update Firecracker to version 0.20.1 or 0.21.2, where the vulnerability is fixed.
Monitor network traffic to detect any unusual patterns that could trigger the issue.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update Firecracker to the latest versions to patch known vulnerabilities.
Implement network traffic monitoring and load balancing to prevent network saturation.

Patching and Updates

Apply the latest patches and updates provided by Firecracker to ensure network stability and security.