CVE-2023-38180 Overview
CVE-2023-38180 is a Denial of Service vulnerability affecting Microsoft .NET framework, ASP.NET Core, and Visual Studio 2022. This vulnerability allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service condition in affected applications without requiring any authentication or user interaction. Due to its network-accessible attack vector and the widespread use of .NET-based applications in enterprise environments, this vulnerability poses a significant risk to organizations relying on Microsoft's development ecosystem.
Critical Impact
This vulnerability is listed in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, indicating active exploitation in the wild. Remote attackers can disrupt service availability of .NET and ASP.NET Core applications without authentication.
Affected Products
- Microsoft .NET (multiple versions)
- Microsoft ASP.NET Core (multiple versions)
- Microsoft Visual Studio 2022 (multiple versions)
- Fedora 37 and 38 (bundled .NET packages)
Discovery Timeline
- August 8, 2023 - CVE-2023-38180 published to NVD
- October 28, 2025 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2023-38180
Vulnerability Analysis
CVE-2023-38180 is a resource exhaustion vulnerability (CWE-400) in Microsoft's .NET framework and related products. The flaw allows unauthenticated attackers to remotely trigger a denial of service condition by sending specially crafted requests that cause the application to consume excessive resources. This can result in application hangs, crashes, or complete service unavailability.
The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it requires no privileges or user interaction to exploit, making it trivial for attackers to target vulnerable systems. Applications built on affected .NET and ASP.NET Core versions are susceptible when exposed to network traffic, which is common in web applications and microservices architectures.
Root Cause
The root cause of this vulnerability stems from improper resource consumption handling (CWE-400) within the .NET runtime environment. The affected components fail to properly limit or manage resource allocation when processing certain inputs, allowing attackers to exhaust system resources such as memory or CPU cycles. This lack of proper resource management enables denial of service attacks against applications that would otherwise be functioning normally.
Attack Vector
The attack vector for CVE-2023-38180 is network-based, meaning attackers can exploit vulnerable systems remotely without requiring local access. The attack has low complexity and does not require any form of authentication or user interaction. An attacker can craft malicious network requests targeting .NET or ASP.NET Core applications, causing them to enter a state of resource exhaustion. This leads to denial of service conditions where legitimate users cannot access the affected services.
The vulnerability specifically impacts availability, with no direct impact on data confidentiality or integrity. However, the disruption of critical services can have cascading effects on business operations and may be used as part of a larger attack campaign.
Detection Methods for CVE-2023-38180
Indicators of Compromise
- Unusual resource consumption (CPU/memory spikes) in .NET or ASP.NET Core application processes
- Unexpected application crashes or service restarts in IIS or Kestrel-hosted applications
- High volume of malformed or suspicious network requests targeting .NET web applications
- Application pool recycling events in Windows Event logs without clear cause
Detection Strategies
- Monitor for abnormal resource utilization patterns in .NET application hosting environments
- Implement application performance monitoring (APM) to detect service degradation
- Review IIS and Kestrel server logs for unusual request patterns or error conditions
- Deploy network intrusion detection systems (IDS) to identify exploitation attempts
Monitoring Recommendations
- Configure alerts for .NET application process memory and CPU threshold breaches
- Implement real-time monitoring of web application availability and response times
- Enable detailed logging for ASP.NET Core applications to capture potential attack indicators
- Monitor CISA KEV catalog updates for additional exploitation intelligence related to this vulnerability
How to Mitigate CVE-2023-38180
Immediate Actions Required
- Apply Microsoft security updates for .NET, ASP.NET Core, and Visual Studio 2022 immediately
- Prioritize patching internet-facing applications and services running on affected platforms
- Review CISA KEV guidance and ensure compliance with federal remediation timelines if applicable
- Implement network-level rate limiting and request filtering as an interim protective measure
Patch Information
Microsoft has released security updates addressing CVE-2023-38180. Organizations should obtain patches from the Microsoft Security Response Center advisory. Fedora users should apply updates as documented in the Fedora Package Announcements. Given the CISA KEV listing, organizations subject to federal requirements must remediate this vulnerability according to mandated timelines.
Workarounds
- Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to filter potentially malicious requests
- Configure application-level request size and rate limits to mitigate resource exhaustion attempts
- Isolate vulnerable applications behind load balancers with health checks to improve resilience
- Consider temporarily restricting network access to affected applications until patches can be applied
# Example: Update .NET SDK and runtime on Windows using winget
winget upgrade Microsoft.DotNet.SDK.7
winget upgrade Microsoft.DotNet.Runtime.7
# Example: Update .NET on Fedora systems
sudo dnf update dotnet-sdk-7.0
sudo dnf update aspnetcore-runtime-7.0
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
