CVE-2023-39410
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability in Apache Avro Java SDK allows attackers to cause out-of-memory conditions by sending specially crafted data during deserialization. It affects Java applications using Apache Avro up to version 1.11.2. The vulnerability can lead to denial of service and potentially other impacts depending on how the application handles memory exhaustion.
💻 Affected Systems
- Apache Avro Java SDK
📦 What is this software?
Avro by Apache
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system unavailability due to out-of-memory conditions, potentially leading to denial of service across multiple applications on the same host.
Likely Case
Application crashes or becomes unresponsive due to memory exhaustion, causing service disruption.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper input validation and memory constraints, though still vulnerable to targeted attacks.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires sending specially crafted data to an application that deserializes Avro data. No authentication bypass is needed if the application accepts external input.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 1.11.3
Vendor Advisory: https://lists.apache.org/thread/q142wj99cwdd0jo5lvdoxzoymlqyjdds
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Identify all applications using Apache Avro Java SDK
2. Update Avro dependency to version 1.11.3 or later in your build configuration (Maven, Gradle, etc.)
3. Rebuild and redeploy affected applications
4. Restart all services using the updated library
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Input validation and sanitization
allImplement strict input validation and size limits on Avro data before deserialization
Memory limit enforcement
allConfigure JVM memory limits and implement circuit breakers to prevent complete system exhaustion
java -Xmx512m -Xms256m ...
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict network controls to limit which sources can send Avro data to vulnerable applications
- Deploy memory monitoring and alerting to detect abnormal memory consumption patterns
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check your project's dependency management file (pom.xml, build.gradle, etc.) for Apache Avro version. If version is 1.11.2 or earlier, you are vulnerable.Check Version:
For Maven: mvn dependency:tree | grep avro
For Gradle: gradle dependencies | grep avro
For direct check: java -cp "your-app.jar" org.apache.avro.VersionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify that Apache Avro version 1.11.3 or later is present in your application's dependencies after update.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- OutOfMemoryError exceptions in application logs
- High memory usage alerts
- Application crashes or restarts
Network Indicators:
- Unusually large Avro data payloads
- Repeated Avro data submissions to endpoints
SIEM Query:
source="application.logs" AND ("OutOfMemoryError" OR "java.lang.OutOfMemoryError") AND "avro"🔗 References
- https://lists.apache.org/thread/q142wj99cwdd0jo5lvdoxzoymlqyjdds
- https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20240621-0006/
- https://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/09/29/6
- https://lists.apache.org/thread/q142wj99cwdd0jo5lvdoxzoymlqyjdds
- https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20240621-0006/
- https://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/09/29/6
