CVE-2020-28491 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

This CVE affects the package com.fasterxml.jackson.dataformat:jackson-dataformat-cbor, leading to a Denial of Service (DoS) vulnerability due to unchecked allocation of byte buffer.

Understanding CVE-2020-28491

This vulnerability was made public on February 18, 2021, with a high base severity score of 7.5.

What is CVE-2020-28491?

CVE-2020-28491 is a Denial of Service (DoS) vulnerability in the jackson-dataformat-cbor package, impacting versions before 2.11.4 and before 2.12.1.

The Impact of CVE-2020-28491

CVSS Score: 7.5 (High)
Attack Vector: Network
Availability Impact: High
No impact on Confidentiality or Integrity

Technical Details of CVE-2020-28491

This section provides more in-depth technical insights into the vulnerability.

Vulnerability Description

Unchecked allocation of byte buffer can lead to a java.lang.OutOfMemoryError exception, causing a DoS.

Affected Systems and Versions

Affected versions include:
Versions before 2.11.4
Version 2.12.0-rc1 before 2.12.1

Exploitation Mechanism

The vulnerability can be exploited by malicious actors to trigger an OutOfMemoryError, resulting in a DoS condition.

Mitigation and Prevention

Protect your systems from this vulnerability by following these steps:

Immediate Steps to Take

Update the jackson-dataformat-cbor package to a non-vulnerable version.
Monitor system resources for unusual consumption that may indicate a DoS attack.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update software packages to patch known vulnerabilities.
Implement proper input validation to prevent buffer overflows and DoS attacks.

Patching and Updates

Apply patches provided by the package maintainers to address this vulnerability.