CVE-2024-11835
📋 TL;DR
An uncontrolled resource consumption vulnerability in PlexTrac's WebSocket implementation allows attackers to cause denial of service by exhausting server resources. This affects all PlexTrac instances running vulnerable versions, potentially disrupting legitimate user access to the platform.
💻 Affected Systems
- PlexTrac
📦 What is this software?
Plextrac by Plextrac
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete service unavailability for all users due to resource exhaustion, potentially requiring manual intervention to restore service.
Likely Case
Degraded performance or temporary service interruptions affecting user experience and productivity.
If Mitigated
Minimal impact with proper rate limiting, resource monitoring, and network controls in place.
🎯 Exploit Status
WebSocket DoS attacks typically require minimal technical skill to execute once the vulnerability is understood.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 2.8.1 and later
Vendor Advisory: https://docs.plextrac.com/plextrac-documentation/master/security-advisories#release-2.11.0
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Backup your PlexTrac instance. 2. Upgrade to version 2.8.1 or later following PlexTrac's official upgrade documentation. 3. Restart the PlexTrac service. 4. Verify the upgrade was successful.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
WebSocket Rate Limiting
allImplement rate limiting on WebSocket connections to prevent resource exhaustion attacks.
# Configure via reverse proxy (nginx example):
limit_conn_zone $binary_remote_addr zone=wslimit:10m;
limit_conn wslimit 10;
Network Segmentation
linuxRestrict WebSocket access to trusted networks only.
# Firewall rule example (iptables):
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 443 -s trusted_network -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 443 -j DROP
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict network access controls to limit WebSocket connections to trusted sources only.
- Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with WebSocket protection and rate limiting capabilities.
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check PlexTrac version via admin interface or by examining the application version in deployment configuration.Check Version:
Check PlexTrac web interface admin panel or deployment configuration files for version information.Verify Fix Applied:
Confirm version is 2.8.1 or later and test WebSocket functionality remains available under normal load.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusually high number of WebSocket connections
- Rapid connection/disconnection patterns
- Resource exhaustion warnings in system logs
Network Indicators:
- High volume of WebSocket traffic from single sources
- Abnormal WebSocket handshake patterns
SIEM Query:
source="plextrac" AND (websocket_connections > threshold OR error="resource_exhaustion")