CVE-2023-5333 : Security Advisory and Response

This CVE record was published by Mattermost on October 9, 2023. It involves a vulnerability that allows a simple user to cause the Mattermost application to consume excessive resources and possibly crash by sending a specially crafted request to /api/v4/users/ids with multiple identical IDs.

Understanding CVE-2023-5333

This section delves into the details of CVE-2023-5333, outlining the vulnerability, its impact, technical aspects, and mitigation strategies.

What is CVE-2023-5333?

CVE-2023-5333 is a vulnerability in Mattermost that fails to deduplicate input IDs. This flaw enables a malicious user to manipulate the application into consuming excessive resources and potentially crashing by sending a crafted request to /api/v4/users/ids with multiple identical IDs.

The Impact of CVE-2023-5333

The impact of CVE-2023-5333 is categorized as low, with a CVSS v3.1 base score of 4.3 and a medium severity rating. The vulnerability's attack complexity is low, requiring low privileges and no user interaction. While the confidentiality and integrity impacts are none, the availability impact is low.

Technical Details of CVE-2023-5333

This section provides insights into the vulnerability description, affected systems and versions, as well as the exploitation mechanism.

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability in Mattermost allows a simple user to exploit the system by sending a specially crafted request to /api/v4/users/ids with multiple identical IDs, leading to resource consumption and potential crashes.

Affected Systems and Versions

The affected versions of Mattermost include 7.8.10, 8.0.2, and 8.1.1. Versions 7.8.11, 8.0.3, and 8.1.2 or higher are unaffected by this vulnerability.

Exploitation Mechanism

By sending a malicious request to /api/v4/users/ids with multiple identical IDs, an attacker can trigger the vulnerability in Mattermost, causing resource exhaustion and potential application crashes.

Mitigation and Prevention

In response to CVE-2023-5333, Mattermost suggests several mitigation and prevention measures to protect systems from exploitation.

Immediate Steps to Take

Users are advised to update their Mattermost Server to versions 7.8.11, 8.0.3, 8.1.2, or higher to mitigate the vulnerability and prevent potential denial of service attacks.

Long-Term Security Practices

Implementing proper input validation and access control measures can help prevent similar vulnerabilities in the future and enhance the overall security posture of the application.

Patching and Updates

Regularly applying software patches and updates provided by Mattermost is essential in addressing security vulnerabilities and ensuring the protection of systems against potential threats.