CVE-2023-37788 Overview
CVE-2023-37788 is a Denial of Service (DoS) vulnerability discovered in goproxy v1.1, a popular HTTP proxy library written in Go. The vulnerability allows remote attackers to cause service disruption through unspecified attack vectors, potentially rendering applications that rely on goproxy unresponsive or unavailable.
Critical Impact
Applications using the affected goproxy version are susceptible to Denial of Service attacks that can be triggered remotely without authentication, potentially causing complete service unavailability.
Affected Products
- goproxy_project goproxy v1.1
- Applications and services built using goproxy v1.1 as a dependency
- HTTP proxy implementations leveraging the vulnerable goproxy library
Discovery Timeline
- 2023-07-18 - CVE-2023-37788 published to NVD
- 2024-11-21 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2023-37788
Vulnerability Analysis
This vulnerability is classified as CWE-400 (Uncontrolled Resource Consumption), indicating that the goproxy library fails to properly manage system resources under certain conditions. The vulnerability enables attackers to exhaust server resources through network-based attacks without requiring any privileges or user interaction.
The network-accessible nature of this vulnerability makes it particularly concerning for internet-facing proxy services. Attackers can trigger the DoS condition remotely, and the lack of authentication requirements lowers the barrier for exploitation significantly. When successfully exploited, the vulnerability impacts the availability of the affected system while confidentiality and integrity remain unaffected.
Root Cause
The root cause of CVE-2023-37788 lies in improper resource management within the goproxy library. The vulnerability stems from the library's failure to implement adequate controls against resource exhaustion scenarios, allowing malicious inputs or connection patterns to consume excessive system resources. This aligns with CWE-400 (Uncontrolled Resource Consumption), where the software does not properly restrict the size or amount of resources that are requested or influenced by an actor.
Attack Vector
The attack vector for this vulnerability is network-based, requiring no local access to the target system. An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by sending specially crafted requests to a service running the vulnerable goproxy library. The attack does not require authentication or user interaction, making it relatively straightforward to execute.
The vulnerability mechanism involves triggering resource exhaustion conditions within the proxy handling logic. For detailed technical information about the specific attack vectors, refer to GitHub Issue #502 in the goproxy repository.
Detection Methods for CVE-2023-37788
Indicators of Compromise
- Unusual spikes in memory or CPU consumption on systems running goproxy-based services
- Increased connection timeouts or service unavailability without corresponding legitimate traffic increases
- Abnormal patterns in proxy request logs indicating potential exploitation attempts
Detection Strategies
- Monitor application dependencies and flag any usage of goproxy version 1.1
- Implement network traffic analysis to detect unusual request patterns targeting proxy endpoints
- Deploy application performance monitoring to detect resource exhaustion conditions
- Review proxy access logs for anomalous connection patterns or malformed requests
Monitoring Recommendations
- Configure alerting thresholds for memory and CPU utilization on systems running goproxy
- Implement connection rate limiting and monitoring at the network perimeter
- Enable detailed logging for proxy services to capture request metadata for forensic analysis
- Monitor for service restarts or crashes that may indicate exploitation attempts
How to Mitigate CVE-2023-37788
Immediate Actions Required
- Audit your applications and dependencies to identify usage of goproxy v1.1
- Upgrade to a patched version of goproxy if available
- Implement rate limiting and connection throttling as a defensive measure
- Consider deploying a Web Application Firewall (WAF) in front of affected services
Patch Information
Review the goproxy GitHub repository for the latest releases and security updates. Check GitHub Issue #502 for details on the vulnerability and any associated fixes. Organizations should update their Go module dependencies to incorporate the latest secure version of the library.
Workarounds
- Implement network-level rate limiting to reduce the impact of potential DoS attacks
- Deploy reverse proxy or load balancer with connection limits in front of vulnerable services
- Consider isolating goproxy-based services in a resource-constrained environment to limit blast radius
- Monitor and automatically restart services that become unresponsive as a temporary mitigation
# Example: Implement connection rate limiting with iptables
# Limit new connections to 50 per second per source IP
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 8080 -m state --state NEW -m recent --set
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 8080 -m state --state NEW -m recent --update --seconds 1 --hitcount 50 -j DROP
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
