Learn about CVE-2023-32067 involving a 0-byte UDP payload DoS vulnerability in c-ares, impacting versions < 1.19.1. Follow mitigation steps and update to prevent exploitation.
A denial-of-service vulnerability has been discovered in the c-ares asynchronous resolver library with a severity score of 7.5.
Understanding CVE-2023-32067
This CVE involves a 0-byte UDP payload DoS vulnerability in c-ares library.
What is CVE-2023-32067?
c-ares, an asynchronous resolver library, is prone to denial of service attacks due to the misinterpretation of a 0-length UDP packet as a connection shutdown by the target resolver.
The Impact of CVE-2023-32067
The vulnerability allows an attacker to cause uncontrolled resource consumption, resulting in a denial of service condition on the target resolver.
Technical Details of CVE-2023-32067
This section provides more in-depth technical details about the vulnerability.
Vulnerability Description
c-ares asynchronous resolver library is susceptible to a denial-of-service attack where an attacker can exploit a flaw by sending a forged UDP packet with a 0-byte payload, triggering the target resolver to misinterpret it as a graceful connection shutdown. This issue can lead to resource exhaustion and service disruption.
Affected Systems and Versions
c-ares versions prior to 1.19.1 are impacted by this vulnerability.
Exploitation Mechanism
An attacker can craft and send malformed UDP packets with a payload length of 0 to exploit the vulnerability in c-ares, leading to a denial of service.
Mitigation and Prevention
To safeguard systems from this vulnerability, certain steps and practices need to be followed.
Immediate Steps to Take
It is recommended to update c-ares to version 1.19.1 or later to mitigate the vulnerability. Additionally, network-level protections can be implemented to filter out malicious UDP packets.
Long-Term Security Practices
Regularly applying security updates, monitoring network traffic for anomalous patterns, and maintaining robust network security measures can help prevent similar vulnerabilities in the future.
Patching and Updates
Users are advised to apply patches provided by c-ares promptly to ensure the security of their systems.