Service interruption via backtracking linkifier patterns
Published Oct 7, 2021 · Updated Aug 4, 2024
Regular expression denial of service in Zulip before 4.7 allows remote authenticated users to interrupt service through linkifiers. The linkifier validator uses a backtracking regular expression to inspect administrator-supplied patterns but accepts arbitrary expressions inside named groups, so both validation and later message matching can consume excessive CPU. Organization-administrator access is required; a malicious pattern or a message that exercises it can deny service without exposing or modifying data.
Summary
What happened
Regular expression denial of service in Zulip before 4.7 allows remote authenticated users to interrupt service through linkifiers. The linkifier validator uses a backtracking regular expression to inspect administrator-supplied patterns but accepts arbitrary expressions inside named groups, so both validation and later message matching can consume excessive CPU. Organization-administrator access is required; a malicious pattern or a message that exercises it can deny service without exposing or modifying data.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2021-41115
- Published
- Oct 7, 2021
- Updated
- Aug 4, 2024
- Vendor
- Zulip
- Product
- Zulip
- Classifications
- CWE-1333, T1499.004
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Oct 7, 2021CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Aug 4, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.
Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=< 4.7
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
- GHSL-2021-118 Zulip ReDoS reproductionproof of concept · demonstrated
Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.
Technologies
Your stack
See the directory against your own environment.
Your stack
Check the software in your environment
Book a demo to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.
Book a demo