Description Preview
A denial of service vulnerability exists in supybot-fedora where the 'refresh' command, which refreshes the cache of all users from the Fedora Account System (FAS), causes the bot (zodbot) to become unresponsive during execution. This occurs because the refresh operation takes a significant amount of time to complete, during which the bot cannot process other requests, effectively creating a denial of service condition.
Overview
The supybot-fedora plugin for Supybot (a Python IRC bot) contains a vulnerability in its 'refresh' command functionality. When this command is executed, it initiates a cache refresh of all Fedora Account System (FAS) users. This operation is resource-intensive and time-consuming. During the execution of this command, the bot instance (known as zodbot in Fedora's infrastructure) becomes completely unresponsive to all other commands and requests. This behavior can be exploited to intentionally cause a denial of service by triggering the refresh operation, preventing the bot from serving legitimate requests from other users.
Remediation
To remediate this vulnerability, implement one or more of the following solutions:
- Modify the 'refresh' command to run asynchronously, allowing the bot to continue processing other commands while the refresh operation runs in the background.
- Implement access controls to restrict the 'refresh' command to authorized administrators only.
- Add rate limiting to prevent frequent execution of the command.
- Optimize the refresh process to reduce execution time, possibly by implementing incremental updates rather than full cache refreshes.
- Consider implementing a timeout mechanism that aborts excessively long-running refresh operations.
- Update to the latest version of supybot-fedora if a patch has been released.
References
- GitHub Issue: https://github.com/fedora-infra/supybot-fedora/issues/69 - Official issue tracking and discussion of the vulnerability
- CVE-2020-15853 - The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures identifier for this security issue
Industry ExposureMost to leastThis section illustrates the prevalence of a specific Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) across various industries based on customer reports. The ranking displays industries from the most to least affected by this particular vulnerability, offering valuable insight into where this CVE has been most frequently observed. This information can help organizations within these sectors prioritize their security efforts, understand their relative risk exposure compared to their peers, and focus remediation strategies where they are most needed. By understanding the industry-specific impact, organizations can make more informed decisions regarding patching, resource allocation, and overall risk management related to this CVE.
This section illustrates the prevalence of a specific Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) across various industries based on customer reports. The ranking displays industries from the most to least affected by this particular vulnerability, offering valuable insight into where this CVE has been most frequently observed. This information can help organizations within these sectors prioritize their security efforts, understand their relative risk exposure compared to their peers, and focus remediation strategies where they are most needed. By understanding the industry-specific impact, organizations can make more informed decisions regarding patching, resource allocation, and overall risk management related to this CVE.
- Accommodation & Food ServicesAccommodation & Food Services
- Administrative, Support, Waste Management & Remediation ServicesAdministrative, Support, Waste Management & Remediation Services
- Agriculture, Forestry Fishing & HuntingAgriculture, Forestry Fishing & Hunting
- Arts, Entertainment & RecreationArts, Entertainment & Recreation
- ConstructionConstruction
- Educational ServicesEducational Services
- Finance and InsuranceFinance and Insurance
- Health Care & Social AssistanceHealth Care & Social Assistance
- InformationInformation
- Management of Companies & EnterprisesManagement of Companies & Enterprises
- ManufacturingManufacturing
- MiningMining
- Other Services (except Public Administration)Other Services (except Public Administration)
- Professional, Scientific, & Technical ServicesProfessional, Scientific, & Technical Services
- Public AdministrationPublic Administration
- Real Estate Rental & LeasingReal Estate Rental & Leasing
- Retail TradeRetail Trade
- Transportation & WarehousingTransportation & Warehousing
- UtilitiesUtilities
- Wholesale TradeWholesale Trade
