CVE-2024-12133: Libtasn1: inefficient der decoding in libtasn1 leading to potential remote dos

Published Feb 6, 2025
·
Updated

A flaw in libtasn1 causes inefficient handling of specific certificate data. When processing a large number of elements in a certificate, libtasn1 takes much longer than expected, which can slow down or even crash the system. This flaw allows an attacker to send a specially crafted certificate, causing a denial of service attack.

Other sources

Libtasn1: inefficient der decoding in libtasn1 leading to potential remote dos

Microsoft

The issue is twofold: decoding a DER input with sequences and locating a specific element in a sequence. Even though a DER sequence is conceptually an array, in libtasn1 it is represented as a linked list, whose elements are assigned a string name, such as "?1". Therefore a simple lookup of an element at a given position is linear O(N) time complexity. When decoding a DER sequence, in each step libtasn1 looks up the parent node, recorded on the first element, which requires a backward linear search, resulting in O(N^2) time complexity.

Red Hat

Affected Software

9 affected componentsFixes available
GNU Libtasn1<4.20.0
debian/libtasn1-6<=4.16.0-2+deb11u1
4.16.0-2+deb11u24.19.0-2+deb12u14.20.0-2
IBM Concert Software<=1.0.0-1.1.0
Microsoft azl3 gnutls 3.8.3-4
Microsoft cbl2 libtasn1 4.19.0-2
Microsoft cbl2 gnutls 3.7.11-3
Microsoft azl3 libtasn1 4.19.0-2
Microsoft azl3 gnutls 3.8.3-3
Microsoft cbl2 gnutls 3.7.11-2

Remediation

Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.

  1. Upgrade

    Upgrade debian/libtasn1-6 to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 4.16.0-2+deb11u2Fixed in 4.19.0-2+deb12u1Fixed in 4.20.0-2
  2. Upgrade

    Upgrade libtasn1 to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 4.20.0Patch CVE-2024-12133

Event History

Feb 10, 2025
Data Sourced
via Red Hat·08:22 AM
DescriptionSeverityAffected Software
CVE Published
via MITRE·03:28 PM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·03:28 PM
DescriptionSeverityWeakness
Data Sourced
via NVD·04:15 PM
DescriptionSeverityWeakness
Feb 27, 2025
Data Sourced
via Ubuntu·12:33 AM
RemedyDescriptionSeverityAffected Software
Mar 4, 2025
Data Sourced
via Microsoft·08:00 AM
DescriptionSeverityWeakness
Data Sourced
via Microsoft·08:00 AM
Affected Software
Updated
via Microsoft·08:00 AM
DescriptionSeverity
Aug 18, 2025
Data Sourced
via IBM·12:00 AM
DescriptionAffected Software

Parent advisories

This vulnerability appears in the following advisories.

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Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the severity of CVE-2024-12133?

CVE-2024-12133 is considered moderate because it can lead to significant performance degradation or crashes when processing certain certificate data.

2

How do I fix CVE-2024-12133?

To fix CVE-2024-12133, update libtasn1 to version 4.20.1 or later, where the vulnerability is addressed.

3

What systems are affected by CVE-2024-12133?

CVE-2024-12133 affects GNU libtasn1 version 4.20.0 specifically.

4

What impact does CVE-2024-12133 have on systems?

CVE-2024-12133 can lead to inefficient handling of certificate data, resulting in slowdowns or crashes.

5

Can CVE-2024-12133 be exploited remotely?

Yes, CVE-2024-12133 can be exploited by attackers sending specially crafted certificate data.

Contact

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