Buffer Leak in Eclipse Jetty HTTP Server

Executive Summary

CVE-2024-7708 is a memory leak vulnerability in Eclipse Jetty's HttpConnection class. It occurs when processing HTTP requests that include a body, but the body is read as 0 bytes due to specific conditions, such as slow network connections or 100-Continue responses. This failure to properly handle the request body results in a buffer leak, which can lead to uncontrolled resource consumption over time.

• Affected versions: Jetty server versions between 10.0.7 and 10.0.23 (excluding 10.0.23) and between 11.0.7 and 11.0.23 (excluding 11.0.23).
• Associated weaknesses: CWE-400 (Uncontrolled Resource Consumption) and CWE-401 (Improper Release of Memory After Effective Lifetime).
• Severity: High (CVSS 3.1 BaseScore of 7.5), primarily impacting system availability.

Useful 0 Not Useful 0

Detection Guidance

Detecting CVE-2024-7708 on your network or system involves checking for the affected versions of Eclipse Jetty and monitoring for signs of memory leaks during request processing. Below are some steps and commands to help identify the vulnerability:

• Check the installed version of Eclipse Jetty: Run the following command to verify the version of Jetty running on your system. This can typically be done by inspecting the Jetty logs or using package managers like `dpkg`, `rpm`, or `mvn`.
• For Debian/Ubuntu systems: `dpkg -l | grep jetty`
• For RHEL/CentOS systems: `rpm -qa | grep jetty`
• For Maven-based projects: Check the `pom.xml` file for the Jetty version or run `mvn dependency:tree | grep jetty`.
• Monitor for memory leaks: Use system monitoring tools like `top`, `htop`, or `jcmd` to observe memory usage over time. A gradual increase in memory consumption without corresponding workload may indicate a leak.
• Example command to monitor memory usage: `top -p $(pgrep -f jetty) -d 5` (adjust the process name as needed).
• Inspect network traffic: Use tools like Wireshark or `tcpdump` to capture and analyze HTTP requests, particularly those involving 100-Continue responses or slow network conditions. Look for incomplete or stalled request bodies.
• Example `tcpdump` command: `sudo tcpdump -i any -s 0 -A 'tcp port 8080 and (((ip[2:2] - ((ip[0]&0xf)<<2)) - ((tcp[12]&0xf0)>>2)) != 0)'` (adjust the port as needed).

If your Jetty version falls within the affected ranges (10.0.7 to 10.0.23 or 11.0.7 to 11.0.23), your system is vulnerable to CVE-2024-7708.

Useful 0 Not Useful 0

Impact Analysis

This vulnerability can impact you in several ways if you are using an affected version of Eclipse Jetty:

• Resource exhaustion: The memory leak can lead to uncontrolled consumption of system resources (e.g., memory), potentially causing the Jetty server to slow down or crash, resulting in denial-of-service (DoS) conditions.
• Degraded performance: Over time, the accumulation of leaked buffers can degrade server performance, leading to slower response times or service interruptions for users.
• Increased operational costs: If the server crashes or requires frequent restarts, it may lead to additional maintenance efforts and downtime, increasing operational overhead.
• Security risks: While this vulnerability does not directly expose sensitive data or allow unauthorized access, the resulting DoS conditions could be exploited by attackers to disrupt services.

Useful 0 Not Useful 0

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability may indirectly affect compliance with common standards and regulations, depending on the context in which Eclipse Jetty is used:

• GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation): While this vulnerability does not directly involve data exposure, prolonged service disruptions or downtime caused by resource exhaustion could impact the availability of systems processing personal data. GDPR requires organizations to ensure the availability and resilience of processing systems (Article 32), so repeated outages could raise compliance concerns.
• HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act): For organizations handling protected health information (PHI), this vulnerability could lead to service disruptions that affect the availability of critical healthcare systems. HIPAA's Security Rule (45 CFR Part 164, Subpart C) requires covered entities to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of electronic PHI. Downtime or degraded performance could violate these requirements.
• Other standards (e.g., ISO 27001, NIST): Compliance frameworks like ISO 27001 and NIST emphasize the importance of maintaining system availability and managing risks related to resource exhaustion. This vulnerability could be seen as a failure to implement adequate controls for resource management, potentially leading to non-compliance if not addressed promptly.

To mitigate compliance risks, organizations should patch affected systems or apply recommended workarounds to prevent potential disruptions.

Useful 0 Not Useful 0

Mitigation Strategies

To mitigate CVE-2024-7708, follow these immediate steps:

• Upgrade Eclipse Jetty: The most effective mitigation is to upgrade to a patched version of Jetty. The vulnerability is fixed in versions 10.0.23 and 11.0.23 or later. Download the latest version from the official Eclipse Jetty website or update via your package manager.
• For Maven-based projects: Update the Jetty dependency in your `pom.xml` to a non-vulnerable version (e.g., 10.0.23 or 11.0.23) and rebuild your application.
• Apply workarounds if upgrading is not immediately possible: Temporarily disable 100-Continue responses or implement request timeouts to reduce the risk of memory leaks. This can be done by configuring Jetty's `HttpConfiguration` to set `sendServerVersion` to `false` and adjusting timeout settings.
• Monitor and restart affected services: If upgrading is delayed, monitor Jetty instances for memory leaks and schedule regular restarts to mitigate the impact of the vulnerability.
• Review network configurations: Ensure that network conditions are optimized to reduce the likelihood of slow request processing, which can exacerbate the vulnerability.

Useful 0 Not Useful 0