CVE-2021-32816 Explained : Impact and Mitigation
Discover the impact of CVE-2021-32816 on ProtonMail's WebClient. Learn about the vulnerability, affected systems, exploitation, and mitigation steps. Take action to secure your services.
ProtonMail Web Client before version 3.16.60 has a regular expression denial-of-service vulnerability impacting the WebClient by ProtonMail. The vulnerability has been assigned a CVSS base score of 6.5, indicating a medium severity issue. Find out more about the impact, technical details, and mitigation steps below.
Understanding CVE-2021-32816
This section provides an overview of the vulnerability in ProtonMail's WebClient.
What is CVE-2021-32816?
ProtonMail's official AngularJS web client, WebClient, is susceptible to a regular expression denial-of-service vulnerability before version 3.16.60. This issue could result in a denial-of-service condition due to uncontrolled resource consumption.
The Impact of CVE-2021-32816
The vulnerability's impact is rated as medium severity, with a CVSS base score of 6.5. Attackers can exploit this issue to potentially disrupt WebClient services, leading to service unavailability.
Technical Details of CVE-2021-32816
Explore the specific technical aspects of the vulnerability.
Vulnerability Description
CVE-2021-32816 involves a regular expression denial-of-service vulnerability in ProtonMail's WebClient, allowing attackers to trigger a denial-of-service attack.
Affected Systems and Versions
WebClient versions earlier than 3.16.60 are affected by this vulnerability.
Exploitation Mechanism
Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by sending malicious requests to the WebClient, causing resource exhaustion and service disruption.
Mitigation and Prevention
Discover the recommended steps to mitigate the risk posed by CVE-2021-32816.
Immediate Steps to Take
Users are advised to update WebClient to version 3.16.60 or later to mitigate the vulnerability. ProtonMail has addressed the issue in commit 6687fb.
Long-Term Security Practices
Implementing secure coding practices and regularly updating software can help prevent similar vulnerabilities in the future.
Patching and Updates
Regularly check for software updates and security advisories from ProtonMail to ensure the WebClient is up to date with the latest security patches.