CVE-2023-1428 : Security Advisory and Response

This CVE record was published by Google on June 9, 2023, revealing a vulnerability in gRPC with a high impact score. The vulnerability is related to a Denial-of-Service issue due to an error in the gRPC implementation.

Understanding CVE-2023-1428

This section delves into the details of the CVE-2023-1428 vulnerability in gRPC, providing an overview of the impact, technical aspects, affected systems, and mitigation strategies.

What is CVE-2023-1428?

The vulnerability in gRPC identified as CVE-2023-1428 triggers an abort() call in gRPC's C++ implementation when specific headers are invoked via http2. These headers include

te: x (x != trailers)

,

:scheme: x (x != http, https)

, and

grpclb_client_stats: x (x == anything)

. To exploit this vulnerability, it is required to send one of the mentioned headers followed by another header that surpasses the total header size of 8KB.

The Impact of CVE-2023-1428

The impact of CVE-2023-1428 is classified as high, with a base score of 7.5. This vulnerability falls under the CAPEC-153 category of Input Data Manipulation, potentially leading to a Denial-of-Service situation for affected systems utilizing gRPC.

Technical Details of CVE-2023-1428

In the technical realm, this section provides insights into the vulnerability description, affected systems and versions, and the exploitation mechanism.

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability in gRPC causes the C++ implementation to abort(), leading to a Denial-of-Service scenario when specific headers are utilized in conjunction with exceeding the total header size limit.

Affected Systems and Versions

The vulnerability affects gRPC versions less than 1.53, particularly version 1.51, and custom versions. Users are advised to upgrade past git commit 2485fa94bd8a723e5c977d55a3ce10b301b437f8 or version 1.53 and above to mitigate this issue.

Exploitation Mechanism

Exploiting CVE-2023-1428 requires sending specific headers in gRPC that trigger the C++ implementation to abort(), coupled with surpassing the total header size threshold, ultimately leading to a Denial-of-Service condition.

Mitigation and Prevention

This section focuses on the necessary steps to mitigate and prevent exploitation of the CVE-2023-1428 vulnerability in gRPC.

Immediate Steps to Take

Immediate actions include upgrading gRPC versions beyond 1.53 or the specified git commit to eliminate the vulnerability. Users should patch their systems promptly to prevent potential Denial-of-Service attacks.

Long-Term Security Practices

In the long term, enforcing robust security practices, such as regular software updates, security audits, and monitoring for vulnerabilities, can enhance the overall security posture and resilience of systems against potential threats.

Patching and Updates

Fixes for CVE-2023-1428 are available in releases starting from 1.52.2, 1.53.1, 1.54.2, and 1.55.0. Users are advised to update to these versions to address the vulnerability and enhance the security of their gRPC systems.