# CVE-2011-4461: Improper Input Validation in Jetty

> Remote attackers can cause CPU exhaustion and denial of service in Jetty by sending crafted form parameters that trigger predictable hash collisions.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.3 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 30 Dec 2011
- **Updated:** 7 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-qxp4-27vx-xmm3

## What is CVE-2011-4461?

CVE-2011-4461 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in n/a, published on 30 Dec 2011. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Jetty 8.1.0.RC2 and earlier computes hash values for form parameters without restricting the ability to trigger hash collisions predictably, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (CPU consumption) by sending many crafted parameters.

Weakness: CWE-310

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2011-4461?

2 open source packages ship an affected version, including org.eclipse.jetty:jetty-server. It affects 2 products.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `org.eclipse.jetty:jetty-server` | Maven | All versions | 8.1.0.RC4 |
| `org.eclipse.jetty:jetty-server` | Maven | All versions | 8.1.0.RC4 |

Products: Mortbay Jetty, Oracle Sun Storage Common Array Manager.

## How do I fix CVE-2011-4461?

Upgrade org.eclipse.jetty:jetty-server to 8.1.0.RC4 or later.

## Is CVE-2011-4461 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2011-4461 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in n/a

- [CVE-2009-4611](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2009-4611/): Improper input validation in Mort Bay Jetty (high 7.5)
- [CVE-2009-5048](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2009-5048/): Cross-site scripting in n/a (medium 6.1)
- [CVE-2009-4609](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2009-4609/): Information disclosure in n/a (medium 5.0)
- [CVE-2009-1523](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2009-1523/): Directory traversal in Mort Bay Jetty (medium 5.0)
- [CVE-2005-3747](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2005-3747/): Mortbay Jetty Discloses JSP Source Code (medium 5.0)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2011-4461 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2011-4461 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in n/a, published on 30 Dec 2011. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2011-4461 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- org.eclipse.jetty:jetty-server (Maven): affected all versions; fixed in 8.1.0.RC4
- org.eclipse.jetty:jetty-server (Maven): affected all versions; fixed in 8.1.0.RC4

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2011-4461/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2011-4461/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2011-4461
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2011-4461
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2011-4461

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2011-4461/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.