CVE-2023-3171 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

A flaw was found in EAP-7 during deserialization of certain classes, which permits instantiation of HashMap and HashTable with no checks on resources consumed. This issue could allow an attacker to submit malicious requests using these classes, which could eventually exhaust the heap and result in a Denial of Service.

Understanding CVE-2023-3171

This section will provide detailed insights into the CVE-2023-3171 vulnerability affecting Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform.

What is CVE-2023-3171?

CVE-2023-3171 is a vulnerability in EAP-7 that arises during the deserialization of specific classes, allowing attackers to instantiate HashMap and HashTable without resource consumption checks. This can lead to heap exhaustion and a Denial of Service (DoS) attack.

The Impact of CVE-2023-3171

The impact of this vulnerability lies in the potential for attackers to exhaust the heap by submitting malicious requests, leading to a DoS condition. This could disrupt the availability and performance of the affected systems running Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform.

Technical Details of CVE-2023-3171

In this section, we will delve into the technical aspects of CVE-2023-3171, including vulnerability description, affected systems, versions, and exploitation mechanism.

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability in EAP-7 allows attackers to exploit the deserialization process of certain classes to instantiate HashMap and HashTable without resource consumption controls. This can lead to heap exhaustion and a DoS attack.

Affected Systems and Versions

Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform 7.4.13 for RHEL 8
Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform 7.4.13 for RHEL 9
Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform 7.4 on RHEL 7

Exploitation Mechanism

Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by submitting malicious requests that leverage the insecure deserialization of classes in EAP-7, leading to the exhaustion of heap resources and a potential DoS attack.

Mitigation and Prevention

This section will outline the necessary steps to mitigate and prevent the exploitation of CVE-2023-3171 in Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform.

Immediate Steps to Take

Apply the patches provided by Red Hat to address the vulnerability in the affected systems.
Monitor system resources and behavior for any signs of heap exhaustion or DoS attacks.

Long-Term Security Practices

Implement secure coding practices to prevent deserialization vulnerabilities.
Regularly update and patch software to mitigate known security risks.

Patching and Updates

Refer to the Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) listed below for patched versions and updates:

RHSA-2023:5484
RHSA-2023:5485
RHSA-2023:5486
RHSA-2023:5488

By following these recommendations and staying informed about security updates, organizations can enhance the resilience of their systems against CVE-2023-3171 and similar vulnerabilities.