## HTTP/2 Rapid reset attack
The HTTP/2 protocol allows clients to indicate to the server that a previous stream should be canceled by sending a RST_STREAM frame. The protocol does not require the client and server to coordinate the cancellation in any way, the client may do it unilaterally. The client may also assume that the cancellation will take effect immediately when the server receives the RST_STREAM frame, before any other data from that TCP connection is processed.
Abuse of this feature is called a Rapid Reset attack because it relies on the ability for an endpoint to send a RST_STREAM frame immediately after sending a request frame, which makes the other endpoint start working and then rapidly resets the request. The request is canceled, but leaves the HTTP/2 connection open.
The HTTP/2 Rapid Reset attack built on this capability is simple: The client opens a large number of streams at once as in the standard HTTP/2 attack, but rather than waiting for a response to each request stream from the server or proxy, the client cancels each request immediately.
The ability to reset streams immediately allows each connection to have an indefinite number of requests in flight. By explicitly canceling the requests, the attacker never exceeds the limit on the number of concurrent open streams. The number of in-flight requests is no longer dependent on the round-trip time (RTT), but only on the available network bandwidth.
In a typical HTTP/2 server implementation, the server will still have to do significant amounts of work for canceled requests, such as allocating new stream data structures, parsing the query and doing header decompression, and mapping the URL to a resource. For reverse proxy implementations, the request may be proxied to the backend server before the RST_STREAM frame is processed. The client on the other hand paid almost no costs for sending the requests. This creates an exploitable cost asymmetry between the server and the client.
Multiple software artifacts implementing HTTP/2 are affected. This advisory was originally ingested from the `swift-nio-http2` repo advisory and their original conent follows.
## swift-nio-http2 specific advisory
swift-nio-http2 is vulnerable to a denial-of-service vulnerability in which a malicious client can create and then reset a large number of HTTP/2 streams in a short period of time. This causes swift-nio-http2 to commit to a large amount of expensive work which it then throws away, including creating entirely new `Channel`s to serve the traffic. This can easily overwhelm an `EventLoop` and prevent it from making forward progress.
swift-nio-http2 1.28 contains a remediation for this issue that applies reset counter using a sliding window. This constrains the number of stream resets that may occur in a given window of time. Clients violating this limit will have their connections torn down. This allows clients to continue to cancel streams for legitimate reasons, while constraining malicious actors.
Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
CVE-2023-44487 has been classified with a critical severity rating due to its potential for exploitation through rapid reset attacks in the HTTP/2 protocol.
2
How do I fix CVE-2023-44487?
To remediate CVE-2023-44487, users should apply the security patches and updates provided by their software vendors for affected products or libraries.
3
What products are affected by CVE-2023-44487?
CVE-2023-44487 affects multiple Microsoft Windows versions, .NET, various Debian packages, and notable server and application software relying on HTTP/2.
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Can CVE-2023-44487 be exploited remotely?
Yes, attackers can exploit CVE-2023-44487 remotely to disrupt services by sending malicious HTTP/2 requests that trigger rapid stream resets.
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What is the recommended action for administrators regarding CVE-2023-44487?
Administrators should prioritize assessing their environments for affected software, applying available updates immediately, and monitoring for suspicious activity.
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