CVE-2023-5954 : Exploit Details and Defense Strategies

This CVE-2023-5954 article discusses a vulnerability affecting HashiCorp Vault and Vault Enterprise where inbound client requests triggering a policy check can lead to unbounded memory consumption. This vulnerability may result in denial-of-service attacks.

Understanding CVE-2023-5954

This section provides an in-depth understanding of the CVE-2023-5954 vulnerability.

What is CVE-2023-5954?

CVE-2023-5954 is a vulnerability in HashiCorp Vault and Vault Enterprise that occurs when inbound client requests trigger a policy check, leading to unbounded memory consumption. This vulnerability can be exploited to launch denial-of-service attacks.

The Impact of CVE-2023-5954

The impact of CVE-2023-5954 is significant as it allows attackers to consume excessive memory through inbound client requests, potentially causing denial-of-service situations. This can disrupt operations and lead to service unavailability.

Technical Details of CVE-2023-5954

This section delves into the technical details of CVE-2023-5954 to provide a comprehensive overview of the vulnerability.

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability in HashiCorp Vault and Vault Enterprise stems from inbound client requests that trigger a policy check, leading to unbounded memory consumption. Attackers can exploit this flaw to exhaust system resources and disrupt services.

Affected Systems and Versions

The affected products include HashiCorp Vault and Vault Enterprise across multiple platforms such as Windows, MacOS, Linux, x86, ARM, 64-bit, and 32-bit architectures. Various versions of Vault are impacted, including 1.15.0, 1.15.1, 1.14.3, 1.14.4, 1.14.5, 1.13.7, 1.13.8, and 1.13.9.

Exploitation Mechanism

The exploitation of CVE-2023-5954 involves sending a large volume of inbound client requests that trigger policy checks in HashiCorp Vault and Vault Enterprise. This leads to excessive memory consumption, potentially resulting in denial-of-service attacks.

Mitigation and Prevention

In response to CVE-2023-5954, organizations should take immediate action to mitigate the risk and prevent potential exploitation of the vulnerability.

Immediate Steps to Take

Organizations using affected versions of HashiCorp Vault and Vault Enterprise should update to the patched versions (1.15.2, 1.14.6, or 1.13.10) to address the vulnerability.
Implement network-level controls and monitoring to detect and mitigate anomalous inbound client requests.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update and patch HashiCorp Vault and Vault Enterprise to protect against known vulnerabilities.
Conduct security assessments and penetration testing to identify and address potential weaknesses in the system.

Patching and Updates

HashiCorp has released patches for CVE-2023-5954 in Vault versions 1.15.2, 1.14.6, and 1.13.10. Organizations are advised to apply these patches promptly to secure their systems against this vulnerability.