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CVE-2023-46118 : Security Advisory and Response

Learn about CVE-2023-46118 affecting RabbitMQ prior to versions 3.11.24 and 3.12.7. Detailed insight on the DoS vulnerability, impact, affected systems, and mitigation strategies.

A denial of service vulnerability has been discovered in RabbitMQ affecting versions prior to 3.11.24 and 3.12.7. This CVE allows attackers to perform DoS attacks by publishing large messages over the HTTP API.

Understanding CVE-2023-46118

This section will cover the details of CVE-2023-46118, its impact, technical description, affected systems, exploitation mechanism, mitigation, and prevention strategies.

What is CVE-2023-46118?

RabbitMQ, a multi-protocol messaging and streaming broker, is susceptible to a DoS attack due to the lack of an HTTP request body limit in its HTTP API. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by sending excessively large messages, causing the target node to be terminated by an "out-of-memory killer"-like mechanism.

The Impact of CVE-2023-46118

The impact of this vulnerability is classified as medium severity, with a CVSS base score of 4.9. Attackers with high privileges can exploit this issue to disrupt the availability of RabbitMQ instances, leading to denial of service.

Technical Details of CVE-2023-46118

Let's delve into the technical aspects of CVE-2023-46118 to better understand the vulnerability, affected systems, and how it can be exploited.

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability arises from the lack of enforcement of an HTTP request body limit in RabbitMQ's HTTP API. This allows authenticated users with sufficient credentials to send oversized messages, triggering a DoS condition in the target node.

Affected Systems and Versions

The CVE affects RabbitMQ versions prior to 3.11.24 and 3.12.7. Users with these versions are at risk of exploitation through the HTTP API, leading to service disruptions.

Exploitation Mechanism

Attackers can leverage the vulnerability by sending very large messages via the HTTP API. As RabbitMQ does not restrict the size of incoming requests, the target server can run out of resources and terminate unexpectedly.

Mitigation and Prevention

To safeguard systems against CVE-2023-46118, immediate steps should be taken following long-term security practices. Employing patching and updates is crucial to mitigate the risks associated with this vulnerability.

Immediate Steps to Take

Administrators should update RabbitMQ instances to versions 3.11.24 and 3.12.7 or above to address the DoS vulnerability. Additionally, monitoring the HTTP API traffic for unusually large messages can help in detecting potential attacks.

Long-Term Security Practices

Implementing strict input validation mechanisms, enforcing message size limits, and monitoring resource utilization can enhance the security posture of RabbitMQ deployments.

Patching and Updates

Regularly applying security patches released by RabbitMQ and staying informed about software vulnerabilities are essential for safeguarding against emerging threats.

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