CWE-400
DiscouragedUncontrolled Resource Consumption
Abstraction: Class · Status: Draft
The product does not properly control the allocation and maintenance of a limited resource.
5401 vulnerabilities reference this CWE, most recent first.
GHSA-FHHH-RHFQ-JF53
Vulnerability from github – Published: 2022-05-14 01:28 – Updated: 2022-05-14 01:28In libavformat/asfdec_f.c in FFmpeg 3.3.3, a DoS in asf_build_simple_index() due to lack of an EOF (End of File) check might cause huge CPU consumption. When a crafted ASF file, which claims a large "ict" field in the header but does not contain sufficient backing data, is provided, the for loop would consume huge CPU and memory resources, since there is no EOF check inside the loop.
{
"affected": [],
"aliases": [
"CVE-2017-14223"
],
"database_specific": {
"cwe_ids": [
"CWE-400"
],
"github_reviewed": false,
"github_reviewed_at": null,
"nvd_published_at": "2017-09-09T01:29:00Z",
"severity": "HIGH"
},
"details": "In libavformat/asfdec_f.c in FFmpeg 3.3.3, a DoS in asf_build_simple_index() due to lack of an EOF (End of File) check might cause huge CPU consumption. When a crafted ASF file, which claims a large \"ict\" field in the header but does not contain sufficient backing data, is provided, the for loop would consume huge CPU and memory resources, since there is no EOF check inside the loop.",
"id": "GHSA-fhhh-rhfq-jf53",
"modified": "2022-05-14T01:28:51Z",
"published": "2022-05-14T01:28:51Z",
"references": [
{
"type": "ADVISORY",
"url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2017-14223"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://github.com/FFmpeg/FFmpeg/commit/afc9c683ed9db01edb357bc8c19edad4282b3a97"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2019/02/msg00005.html"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "http://www.debian.org/security/2017/dsa-3996"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/100703"
}
],
"schema_version": "1.4.0",
"severity": [
{
"score": "CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H",
"type": "CVSS_V3"
}
]
}
GHSA-FHHR-6Q8C-W2WF
Vulnerability from github – Published: 2022-05-24 17:32 – Updated: 2022-05-24 17:32A resource exhaustion issue was addressed with improved input validation. This issue is fixed in tvOS 12.1, iOS 12.1. Processing a maliciously crafted message may lead to a denial of service.
{
"affected": [],
"aliases": [
"CVE-2018-4381"
],
"database_specific": {
"cwe_ids": [
"CWE-400"
],
"github_reviewed": false,
"github_reviewed_at": null,
"nvd_published_at": "2020-10-27T20:15:00Z",
"severity": "MODERATE"
},
"details": "A resource exhaustion issue was addressed with improved input validation. This issue is fixed in tvOS 12.1, iOS 12.1. Processing a maliciously crafted message may lead to a denial of service.",
"id": "GHSA-fhhr-6q8c-w2wf",
"modified": "2022-05-24T17:32:13Z",
"published": "2022-05-24T17:32:13Z",
"references": [
{
"type": "ADVISORY",
"url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-4381"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT209192"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT209194"
}
],
"schema_version": "1.4.0",
"severity": []
}
GHSA-FJ2X-735W-74VQ
Vulnerability from github – Published: 2025-10-30 17:10 – Updated: 2025-11-05 22:15The issue has been reported by @raefko from @fuzzinglabs. Excerpts from the report:
A critical vulnerability exists in the gnark-crypto library's
Vector.ReadFrom()function that allows an attacker to trigger arbitrary memory allocation by crafting malicious input data. An attacker can cause the verifier to attempt allocating up to 128 GB of memory with a minimal malicious input, leading to out-of-memory crashes and denial of service.Root Cause
The vulnerability stems from unchecked deserialization of attacker-controlled length fields in the gnark-crypto library's
Vector.ReadFrom()function. The function reads a 4-byte unsigned integer from untrusted input and directly uses it to allocate memory without any validation or bounds checking.Vulnerable Code Path
``` User Input (Malicious Proof/Data) ↓ gnark Proof/Data Deserialization ↓ Vector.ReadFrom() (ecc/bn254/fr/vector.go:136-144) → sliceLen := binary.BigEndian.Uint32(buf[:4]) // ← ATTACKER-CONTROLLED → (*vector) = make(Vector, sliceLen) // ← UNCHECKED ALLOCATION ↓ runtime.makeslice attempts 100+ GB allocation ↓ fatal error: runtime: out of memory → SIGABRT
```
Vulnerable Code
File:
gnark-crypto@v0.14.0+/ecc/bn254/fr/vector.go:136-144The code reads a 4-byte big-endian unsigned integer (
sliceLen) directly from the input stream and uses it to allocate a slice without any bounds checking or validation. Each element is 32 bytes (fr.Element for BN254 curve), so an attacker can request up to:Maximum Allocation:
2^32 elements × 32 bytes = 137,438,953,472 bytes ≈ 128 GBRoot Cause Analysis
The gnark-crypto library implements a generic serialization format for field element vectors. The format is:
[4 bytes: length (n)] [n × 32 bytes: elements]The deserialization code trusts the length field implicitly without any validation. This is a classic integer-to-allocation vulnerability pattern, similar to issues that have affected many serialization libraries over the years.
Impact
The issue impacts users deserializing vectors directly from untrusted sources. In case of malicious input it would lead to OOM in case the server doesn't have sufficient memory (depending on the field, but could allocate from 32GB to 196GB).
Patches
The issue is patched in https://github.com/Consensys/gnark-crypto/pull/759. It will be backported to gnark-crypto v0.18 and v0.19.
Workarounds
The user could manually peek into the first 4 bytes of the serialized data to estimate if the header would allocate large amounts of memory.
{
"affected": [
{
"package": {
"ecosystem": "Go",
"name": "github.com/consensys/gnark-crypto"
},
"ranges": [
{
"events": [
{
"introduced": "0.9.1"
},
{
"fixed": "0.18.1"
}
],
"type": "ECOSYSTEM"
}
]
},
{
"package": {
"ecosystem": "Go",
"name": "github.com/consensys/gnark-crypto"
},
"ranges": [
{
"events": [
{
"introduced": "0.19.0"
},
{
"fixed": "0.19.2"
}
],
"type": "ECOSYSTEM"
}
],
"versions": [
"0.19.0"
]
}
],
"aliases": [],
"database_specific": {
"cwe_ids": [
"CWE-400"
],
"github_reviewed": true,
"github_reviewed_at": "2025-10-30T17:10:40Z",
"nvd_published_at": null,
"severity": "HIGH"
},
"details": "The issue has been reported by @raefko from @fuzzinglabs. Excerpts from the report:\n\u003e A critical vulnerability exists in the gnark-crypto library\u0027s\u00a0`Vector.ReadFrom()`\u00a0function that allows an attacker to trigger arbitrary memory allocation by crafting malicious input data. An attacker can cause the verifier to attempt allocating up to 128 GB of memory with a minimal malicious input, leading to out-of-memory crashes and denial of service.\n\u003e ### **Root Cause**\n\u003e \n\u003e \n\u003e The vulnerability stems from\u00a0**unchecked deserialization**\u00a0of attacker-controlled length fields in the gnark-crypto library\u0027s\u00a0`Vector.ReadFrom()`\u00a0function. The function reads a 4-byte unsigned integer from untrusted input and directly uses it to allocate memory without any validation or bounds checking.\n\u003e \n\u003e ### **Vulnerable Code Path**\n\u003e \n\u003e ```\n\u003e User Input (Malicious Proof/Data)\n\u003e \u2193\n\u003e gnark Proof/Data Deserialization\n\u003e \u2193\n\u003e Vector.ReadFrom() (ecc/bn254/fr/vector.go:136-144)\n\u003e \u2192 sliceLen := binary.BigEndian.Uint32(buf[:4]) // \u2190 ATTACKER-CONTROLLED\n\u003e \u2192 (*vector) = make(Vector, sliceLen) // \u2190 UNCHECKED ALLOCATION\n\u003e \u2193\n\u003e runtime.makeslice attempts 100+ GB allocation\n\u003e \u2193\n\u003e fatal error: runtime: out of memory \u2192 SIGABRT\n\u003e \n\u003e ```\n\u003e\n\u003e ### **Vulnerable Code**\n\u003e \n\u003e **File**:\u00a0[`gnark-crypto@v0.14.0+/ecc/bn254/fr/vector.go:136-144`](https://github.com/Consensys/gnark-crypto/blob/8310aae2de6104d3fe3610e3370b2bed10c63111/ecc/bn254/fr/vector.go#L136)\n\u003e \n\u003e The code reads a 4-byte big-endian unsigned integer (`sliceLen`) directly from the input stream and uses it to allocate a slice without any bounds checking or validation. Each element is 32 bytes (fr.Element for BN254 curve), so an attacker can request up to:\n\u003e \n\u003e **Maximum Allocation**:\u00a0`2^32 elements \u00d7 32 bytes = 137,438,953,472 bytes \u2248 128 GB`\n\u003e \n\u003e ## **Root Cause Analysis**\n\u003e \n\u003e The gnark-crypto library implements a generic serialization format for field element vectors. The format is:\n\u003e \n\u003e ```\n\u003e [4 bytes: length (n)] [n \u00d7 32 bytes: elements]\n\u003e ```\n\u003e \n\u003e The deserialization code\u00a0**trusts**\u00a0the length field implicitly without any validation. This is a classic\u00a0**integer-to-allocation vulnerability**\u00a0pattern, similar to issues that have affected many serialization libraries over the years.\n\n### Impact\n\nThe issue impacts users deserializing vectors directly from untrusted sources. In case of malicious input it would lead to OOM in case the server doesn\u0027t have sufficient memory (depending on the field, but could allocate from 32GB to 196GB).\n\n### Patches\n\nThe issue is patched in https://github.com/Consensys/gnark-crypto/pull/759. It will be backported to gnark-crypto v0.18 and v0.19.\n\n### Workarounds\n\nThe user could manually peek into the first 4 bytes of the serialized data to estimate if the header would allocate large amounts of memory.",
"id": "GHSA-fj2x-735w-74vq",
"modified": "2025-11-05T22:15:15Z",
"published": "2025-10-30T17:10:40Z",
"references": [
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://github.com/Consensys/gnark-crypto/security/advisories/GHSA-fj2x-735w-74vq"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://github.com/Consensys/gnark-crypto/pull/759"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://github.com/Consensys/gnark-crypto/commit/2e7bf9190a0aac896eeec3876c87c77a35661be7"
},
{
"type": "PACKAGE",
"url": "https://github.com/Consensys/gnark-crypto"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://pkg.go.dev/vuln/GO-2025-4087"
}
],
"schema_version": "1.4.0",
"severity": [
{
"score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H",
"type": "CVSS_V3"
}
],
"summary": "gnark-crypto allows unchecked memory allocation during vector deserialization"
}
GHSA-FJ54-MVM9-92FV
Vulnerability from github – Published: 2022-05-24 17:38 – Updated: 2022-05-24 17:38Dell EMC Unity, Unity XT, and UnityVSA versions prior to 5.0.4.0.5.012 contain a Denial of Service vulnerability on NAS Servers with NFS exports. A remote authenticated attacker could potentially exploit this vulnerability and cause Denial of Service (Storage Processor Panic) by sending specially crafted UDP requests.
{
"affected": [],
"aliases": [
"CVE-2020-29490"
],
"database_specific": {
"cwe_ids": [
"CWE-400"
],
"github_reviewed": false,
"github_reviewed_at": null,
"nvd_published_at": "2021-01-05T22:15:00Z",
"severity": "MODERATE"
},
"details": "Dell EMC Unity, Unity XT, and UnityVSA versions prior to 5.0.4.0.5.012 contain a Denial of Service vulnerability on NAS Servers with NFS exports. A remote authenticated attacker could potentially exploit this vulnerability and cause Denial of Service (Storage Processor Panic) by sending specially crafted UDP requests.",
"id": "GHSA-fj54-mvm9-92fv",
"modified": "2022-05-24T17:38:01Z",
"published": "2022-05-24T17:38:01Z",
"references": [
{
"type": "ADVISORY",
"url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-29490"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/000181248"
}
],
"schema_version": "1.4.0",
"severity": []
}
GHSA-FJ64-QPRX-Q7VQ
Vulnerability from github – Published: 2023-06-14 15:30 – Updated: 2023-06-23 19:39An issue was discovered genson through 1.6 allows attackers to cause a denial of service or other unspecified impacts via crafted objects that deeply nested structures.
{
"affected": [
{
"package": {
"ecosystem": "Maven",
"name": "com.owlike:genson"
},
"ranges": [
{
"events": [
{
"introduced": "0"
},
{
"last_affected": "1.6"
}
],
"type": "ECOSYSTEM"
}
]
}
],
"aliases": [
"CVE-2023-34617"
],
"database_specific": {
"cwe_ids": [
"CWE-400",
"CWE-787"
],
"github_reviewed": true,
"github_reviewed_at": "2023-06-14T20:44:55Z",
"nvd_published_at": "2023-06-14T14:15:10Z",
"severity": "HIGH"
},
"details": "An issue was discovered genson through 1.6 allows attackers to cause a denial of service or other unspecified impacts via crafted objects that deeply nested structures.",
"id": "GHSA-fj64-qprx-q7vq",
"modified": "2023-06-23T19:39:24Z",
"published": "2023-06-14T15:30:38Z",
"references": [
{
"type": "ADVISORY",
"url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-34617"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://github.com/owlike/genson/issues/191"
},
{
"type": "PACKAGE",
"url": "https://github.com/owlike/genson"
}
],
"schema_version": "1.4.0",
"severity": [
{
"score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H",
"type": "CVSS_V3"
}
],
"summary": "genson vulnerable to stack exhaustion"
}
GHSA-FJ79-GF26-7C3P
Vulnerability from github – Published: 2022-05-24 17:00 – Updated: 2024-04-04 02:38ClamAV versions prior to 0.101.3 are susceptible to a zip bomb vulnerability where an unauthenticated attacker can cause a denial of service condition by sending crafted messages to an affected system.
{
"affected": [],
"aliases": [
"CVE-2019-12625"
],
"database_specific": {
"cwe_ids": [
"CWE-400",
"CWE-404"
],
"github_reviewed": false,
"github_reviewed_at": null,
"nvd_published_at": "2019-11-05T19:15:00Z",
"severity": "HIGH"
},
"details": "ClamAV versions prior to 0.101.3 are susceptible to a zip bomb vulnerability where an unauthenticated attacker can cause a denial of service condition by sending crafted messages to an affected system.",
"id": "GHSA-fj79-gf26-7c3p",
"modified": "2024-04-04T02:38:21Z",
"published": "2022-05-24T17:00:21Z",
"references": [
{
"type": "ADVISORY",
"url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-12625"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://blog.clamav.net/2019/08/clamav-01014-security-patch-release-has.html"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-11/msg00078.html"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-12/msg00000.html"
}
],
"schema_version": "1.4.0",
"severity": [
{
"score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H",
"type": "CVSS_V3"
}
]
}
GHSA-FJ7C-VG2V-CCRM
Vulnerability from github – Published: 2022-07-15 21:07 – Updated: 2022-09-08 14:21Buffer leak on incoming WebSocket PONG message(s) in Undertow before 2.0.40 and 2.2.10 can lead to memory exhaustion and allow a denial of service.
{
"affected": [
{
"package": {
"ecosystem": "Maven",
"name": "io.undertow:undertow-core"
},
"ranges": [
{
"events": [
{
"introduced": "0"
},
{
"fixed": "2.0.40"
}
],
"type": "ECOSYSTEM"
}
]
},
{
"package": {
"ecosystem": "Maven",
"name": "io.undertow:undertow-core"
},
"ranges": [
{
"events": [
{
"introduced": "2.2.0"
},
{
"fixed": "2.2.10"
}
],
"type": "ECOSYSTEM"
}
]
}
],
"aliases": [
"CVE-2021-3690"
],
"database_specific": {
"cwe_ids": [
"CWE-400",
"CWE-401"
],
"github_reviewed": true,
"github_reviewed_at": "2022-07-15T21:07:20Z",
"nvd_published_at": "2022-08-23T16:15:00Z",
"severity": "HIGH"
},
"details": "Buffer leak on incoming WebSocket PONG message(s) in Undertow before 2.0.40 and 2.2.10 can lead to memory exhaustion and allow a denial of service.",
"id": "GHSA-fj7c-vg2v-ccrm",
"modified": "2022-09-08T14:21:49Z",
"published": "2022-07-15T21:07:20Z",
"references": [
{
"type": "ADVISORY",
"url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-3690"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://github.com/undertow-io/undertow/commit/c7e84a0b7efced38506d7d1dfea5902366973877"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2021-3690"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/cve-2021-3690#cve-cvss-v3"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1991299"
},
{
"type": "PACKAGE",
"url": "https://github.com/undertow-io/undertow"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://issues.redhat.com/browse/UNDERTOW-1935"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://www.mend.io/vulnerability-database/CVE-2021-3690"
}
],
"schema_version": "1.4.0",
"severity": [
{
"score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H",
"type": "CVSS_V3"
}
],
"summary": "Undertow vulnerable to memory exhaustion due to buffer leak"
}
GHSA-FJ8X-2C72-3H8W
Vulnerability from github – Published: 2022-05-24 17:42 – Updated: 2022-05-24 17:42On BIG-IP APM version 16.0.x before 16.0.1.1, under certain conditions, when processing VPN traffic with APM, TMM consumes excessive memory. A malicious, authenticated VPN user may abuse this to perform a DoS attack against the APM. Note: Software versions which have reached End of Software Development (EoSD) are not evaluated.
{
"affected": [],
"aliases": [
"CVE-2021-22985"
],
"database_specific": {
"cwe_ids": [
"CWE-400"
],
"github_reviewed": false,
"github_reviewed_at": null,
"nvd_published_at": "2021-02-12T18:15:00Z",
"severity": "HIGH"
},
"details": "On BIG-IP APM version 16.0.x before 16.0.1.1, under certain conditions, when processing VPN traffic with APM, TMM consumes excessive memory. A malicious, authenticated VPN user may abuse this to perform a DoS attack against the APM. Note: Software versions which have reached End of Software Development (EoSD) are not evaluated.",
"id": "GHSA-fj8x-2c72-3h8w",
"modified": "2022-05-24T17:42:07Z",
"published": "2022-05-24T17:42:07Z",
"references": [
{
"type": "ADVISORY",
"url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-22985"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://support.f5.com/csp/article/K88162221"
}
],
"schema_version": "1.4.0",
"severity": []
}
GHSA-FJ94-Q44P-PF8F
Vulnerability from github – Published: 2022-05-24 17:39 – Updated: 2022-05-24 17:39An attacker could cause a Prometheus denial of service in GitLab 13.7+ by sending an HTTP request with a malformed method
{
"affected": [],
"aliases": [
"CVE-2021-22166"
],
"database_specific": {
"cwe_ids": [
"CWE-400"
],
"github_reviewed": false,
"github_reviewed_at": null,
"nvd_published_at": "2021-01-15T16:15:00Z",
"severity": "HIGH"
},
"details": "An attacker could cause a Prometheus denial of service in GitLab 13.7+ by sending an HTTP request with a malformed method",
"id": "GHSA-fj94-q44p-pf8f",
"modified": "2022-05-24T17:39:23Z",
"published": "2022-05-24T17:39:23Z",
"references": [
{
"type": "ADVISORY",
"url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-22166"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/cves/-/blob/master/2021/CVE-2021-22166.json"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/labkit/-/issues/29"
}
],
"schema_version": "1.4.0",
"severity": []
}
GHSA-FJMH-46WX-6H6H
Vulnerability from github – Published: 2022-09-07 00:01 – Updated: 2022-09-13 00:00Multiple vulnerabilities exist in the processing of packet data by the LLDP service of AOS-CX. Successful exploitation of these vulnerabilities may allow an attacker to impact the availability of the AOS-CX LLDP service and/or the management plane of the switch in ArubaOS-CX Switches version(s): AOS-CX 10.09.xxxx: 10.09.1010 and below, AOS-CX 10.08.xxxx: 10.08.1050 and below, AOS-CX 10.06.xxxx: 10.06.0190 and below. Aruba has released upgrades for ArubaOS-CX Switch Devices that address these security vulnerabilities.
{
"affected": [],
"aliases": [
"CVE-2022-23688"
],
"database_specific": {
"cwe_ids": [
"CWE-400"
],
"github_reviewed": false,
"github_reviewed_at": null,
"nvd_published_at": "2022-09-06T18:15:00Z",
"severity": "MODERATE"
},
"details": "Multiple vulnerabilities exist in the processing of packet data by the LLDP service of AOS-CX. Successful exploitation of these vulnerabilities may allow an attacker to impact the availability of the AOS-CX LLDP service and/or the management plane of the switch in ArubaOS-CX Switches version(s): AOS-CX 10.09.xxxx: 10.09.1010 and below, AOS-CX 10.08.xxxx: 10.08.1050 and below, AOS-CX 10.06.xxxx: 10.06.0190 and below. Aruba has released upgrades for ArubaOS-CX Switch Devices that address these security vulnerabilities.",
"id": "GHSA-fjmh-46wx-6h6h",
"modified": "2022-09-13T00:00:40Z",
"published": "2022-09-07T00:01:51Z",
"references": [
{
"type": "ADVISORY",
"url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-23688"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://www.arubanetworks.com/assets/alert/ARUBA-PSA-2022-012.txt"
}
],
"schema_version": "1.4.0",
"severity": [
{
"score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L",
"type": "CVSS_V3"
}
]
}
Mitigation
Design throttling mechanisms into the system architecture. The best protection is to limit the amount of resources that an unauthorized user can cause to be expended. A strong authentication and access control model will help prevent such attacks from occurring in the first place. The login application should be protected against DoS attacks as much as possible. Limiting the database access, perhaps by caching result sets, can help minimize the resources expended. To further limit the potential for a DoS attack, consider tracking the rate of requests received from users and blocking requests that exceed a defined rate threshold.
Mitigation
- Mitigation of resource exhaustion attacks requires that the target system either:
- The first of these solutions is an issue in itself though, since it may allow attackers to prevent the use of the system by a particular valid user. If the attacker impersonates the valid user, they may be able to prevent the user from accessing the server in question.
- The second solution is simply difficult to effectively institute -- and even when properly done, it does not provide a full solution. It simply makes the attack require more resources on the part of the attacker.
- recognizes the attack and denies that user further access for a given amount of time, or
- uniformly throttles all requests in order to make it more difficult to consume resources more quickly than they can again be freed.
Mitigation
Ensure that protocols have specific limits of scale placed on them.
Mitigation
Ensure that all failures in resource allocation place the system into a safe posture.
CAPEC-147: XML Ping of the Death
An attacker initiates a resource depletion attack where a large number of small XML messages are delivered at a sufficiently rapid rate to cause a denial of service or crash of the target. Transactions such as repetitive SOAP transactions can deplete resources faster than a simple flooding attack because of the additional resources used by the SOAP protocol and the resources necessary to process SOAP messages. The transactions used are immaterial as long as they cause resource utilization on the target. In other words, this is a normal flooding attack augmented by using messages that will require extra processing on the target.
CAPEC-227: Sustained Client Engagement
An adversary attempts to deny legitimate users access to a resource by continually engaging a specific resource in an attempt to keep the resource tied up as long as possible. The adversary's primary goal is not to crash or flood the target, which would alert defenders; rather it is to repeatedly perform actions or abuse algorithmic flaws such that a given resource is tied up and not available to a legitimate user. By carefully crafting a requests that keep the resource engaged through what is seemingly benign requests, legitimate users are limited or completely denied access to the resource.
CAPEC-492: Regular Expression Exponential Blowup
An adversary may execute an attack on a program that uses a poor Regular Expression(Regex) implementation by choosing input that results in an extreme situation for the Regex. A typical extreme situation operates at exponential time compared to the input size. This is due to most implementations using a Nondeterministic Finite Automaton(NFA) state machine to be built by the Regex algorithm since NFA allows backtracking and thus more complex regular expressions.