CVE-2023-2253 distribution catalog API endpoint can lead to OOM via malicious user input
An attacker can cause a denial of service by submitting an excessively large parameter to the catalog endpoint, leading to memory exhaustion.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Any signed-in user
- Attackable
- Over the internet
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2023-2253?
CVE-2023-2253 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in Redhat Openshift Container Platform, published on 6 Jun 2023. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Official description
A flaw was found in the `/v2/_catalog` endpoint in distribution/distribution, which accepts a parameter to control the maximum number of records returned (query string: `n`). This vulnerability allows a malicious user to submit an unreasonably large value for `n,` causing the allocation of a massive string array, possibly causing a denial of service through excessive use of memory.
Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-2253?
3 open source packages ship an affected version, including github.com/docker/distribution and github.com/distribution/distribution. It affects 3 products.
| Package | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
github.com/docker/distribution Go | All versions | 2.8.2-beta.1 |
github.com/docker/distribution Go | All versions | 2.8.2-beta.1 |
github.com/distribution/distribution Go | All versions | 2.8.2-beta.1+incompatible |
Linux distribution packages (6)
docker-distribution SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Containers 12 | All versions | 2.6.2-13.9.1 |
distribution SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Containers 15 SP4 | All versions | 2.8.1-150400.9.18.1 |
distribution SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Containers 15 SP4 | All versions | 2.8.2-150400.9.21.1 |
distribution openSUSE:Leap 15.4 | All versions | 2.8.1-150400.9.18.1 |
distribution openSUSE:Leap 15.4 | All versions | 2.8.2-150400.9.21.1 |
distribution-registry openSUSE:Tumbleweed | All versions | 2.8.2-1.1 |
Products include Redhat Openshift Api for Data Protection, Redhat Openshift Container Platform, Redhat Openshift Developer Tools and Services.
How do I fix CVE-2023-2253?
Upgrade github.com/docker/distribution to 2.8.2-beta.1 or later.
Upgrade, then put limits on request size, rate and nesting depth so one client cannot exhaust the service. More about Denial of service.
Is CVE-2023-2253 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-2253 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Sources
Also known as AZL-27020, AZL-27027, CLEANSTART-2026-JU66662, CLEANSTART-2026-SL35444, DEBIAN-CVE-2023-2253, DLA-3473-1 and 10 more.