CVE-2022-41715 : What You Need to Know
Learn about CVE-2022-41715, a vulnerability in the Go standard library's regexp/syntax library that could lead to memory exhaustion when compiling regular expressions. Find out how to mitigate and prevent exploitation.
This article provides detailed information about CVE-2022-41715, a vulnerability in the regexp/syntax library of the Go standard library that could lead to memory exhaustion when compiling regular expressions.
Understanding CVE-2022-41715
This section delves into what CVE-2022-41715 entails and its potential impact.
What is CVE-2022-41715?
CVE-2022-41715 refers to a vulnerability in the Go standard library's regexp/syntax library that allows programs compiling regular expressions from untrusted sources to be susceptible to memory exhaustion or denial of service attacks.
The Impact of CVE-2022-41715
The vulnerability could be exploited by malicious actors to force relatively small regular expressions to consume large amounts of memory, leading to denial of service conditions.
Technical Details of CVE-2022-41715
This section discusses the technical aspects of the vulnerability, including the affected systems, exploitation mechanism, and available fix.
Vulnerability Description
The parsed regexp representation is linear in the size of the input, with a constant factor that can cause even small regexps to consume significant memory. The fix limits each parsed regexp to a 256 MB memory footprint to prevent such memory exhaustion.
Affected Systems and Versions
The vulnerability affects versions less than 1.18.7 and 1.19.2 of the Go standard library's regexp/syntax package.
Exploitation Mechanism
By crafting specific regular expressions, an attacker can trigger the memory exhaustion flaw, leading to denial of service.
Mitigation and Prevention
This section outlines the steps to mitigate the CVE-2022-41715 vulnerability and prevent potential exploitation.
Immediate Steps to Take
Developers should update their Go applications to versions 1.18.7 or 1.19.2 to mitigate the vulnerability. Regularly monitor for security advisories and apply patches promptly.
Long-Term Security Practices
Implement input validation mechanisms to sanitize untrusted regular expressions before compilation. Perform security assessments and reviews of code that handles user-generated content.
Patching and Updates
Stay informed about security updates released by the Go community and promptly apply patches to ensure the security of your applications.