CVE-2019-25342: Centova Cast DoS Vulnerability

CVE-2019-25342 Overview

Centova Cast 3.2.12 contains a denial of service vulnerability that allows attackers to overwhelm the system by repeatedly calling the database export API endpoint. Attackers can trigger 100% CPU load by sending multiple concurrent requests to the /api.php endpoint with crafted parameters.

Critical Impact

Authenticated attackers can completely exhaust server CPU resources, causing service unavailability for legitimate users of Centova Cast streaming server control panels.

Affected Products

• Centova Cast version 3.2.12

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-02-12 - CVE CVE-2019-25342 published to NVD
• 2026-02-12 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2019-25342

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-770 (Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling). The core issue lies in the application's failure to implement proper rate limiting or resource management for its database export API functionality. When attackers send multiple concurrent requests to the vulnerable endpoint, the server processes each request without checking for resource exhaustion, leading to complete CPU utilization.

The network-accessible nature of this vulnerability means any authenticated user with access to the API can launch an attack remotely. While authentication is required (limiting the attack surface somewhat), the low complexity of exploitation makes this a significant risk for any exposed Centova Cast installation.

Root Cause

The vulnerability stems from improper resource allocation in the database export functionality. The /api.php endpoint lacks throttling mechanisms that would normally prevent excessive resource consumption. When the database export operation is triggered repeatedly, each request consumes CPU cycles without any queuing or rate limiting, allowing an attacker to stack multiple resource-intensive operations simultaneously until the server becomes unresponsive.

Attack Vector

The attack leverages the network-accessible API endpoint at /api.php. An authenticated attacker can craft requests targeting the database export function and send them in rapid succession or concurrently. Each request triggers a resource-intensive database operation that consumes CPU time. By flooding the endpoint with these requests, the attacker can achieve 100% CPU utilization, effectively denying service to all users of the Centova Cast platform.

The attack requires low-privilege authenticated access but no user interaction, making it trivially exploitable once an attacker has valid credentials. Detailed exploitation information is available in the Exploit-DB #47677 entry.

Detection Methods for CVE-2019-25342

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual spike in requests to the /api.php endpoint, particularly those involving database export operations
• Sustained high CPU utilization (approaching or at 100%) on servers running Centova Cast
• Multiple rapid requests from the same authenticated user session within a short time frame
• Server unresponsiveness or timeout errors reported by legitimate users

Detection Strategies

• Implement logging and monitoring for all requests to the /api.php endpoint with alerting on abnormal request volumes
• Configure web server or application firewall rules to detect and alert on excessive request rates from individual sessions
• Monitor server resource metrics for sudden CPU exhaustion events correlated with API activity
• Review authentication logs for sessions making unusually high numbers of API calls

Monitoring Recommendations

• Deploy real-time CPU and resource monitoring with threshold-based alerts for the Centova Cast server
• Enable detailed access logging for the API endpoint to facilitate forensic analysis
• Consider implementing a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with rate limiting capabilities in front of Centova Cast installations
• Monitor for repeated authentication attempts that may precede exploitation attempts

How to Mitigate CVE-2019-25342

Immediate Actions Required

• Implement rate limiting at the web server or reverse proxy level for requests to /api.php
• Restrict API access to trusted IP addresses or networks where possible
• Review and limit the permissions of authenticated users who do not require database export functionality
• Consider temporarily disabling the database export feature if not critical to operations

Patch Information

Check the Centova Website for the latest software updates and security patches. Upgrading to a version newer than 3.2.12 that addresses this vulnerability is the recommended long-term solution. Consult the VulnCheck Advisory for Centova for additional guidance.

Workarounds

• Configure web server rate limiting (e.g., using nginx limit_req_zone or Apache mod_ratelimit) to restrict the number of requests per session to the API
• Implement network-level controls such as firewall rules to limit access to the Centova Cast administrative interface
• Deploy a reverse proxy with request throttling in front of the Centova Cast installation
• Monitor and automatically block IP addresses or sessions exhibiting suspicious request patterns

# Example nginx rate limiting configuration for Centova Cast API
# Add to nginx server block configuration
limit_req_zone $binary_remote_addr zone=centova_api:10m rate=10r/s;

location /api.php {
    limit_req zone=centova_api burst=20 nodelay;
    # Continue with normal proxy or fastcgi configuration
}