CVE-2024-38828: Spring MVC DoS Vulnerability

CVE-2024-38828 Overview

CVE-2024-38828 is a Denial of Service (DoS) vulnerability affecting Spring MVC applications. Spring MVC controller methods with an @RequestBody byte[] method parameter are vulnerable to a DoS attack that can cause resource exhaustion and service disruption.

Critical Impact

Attackers can exploit this vulnerability to cause denial of service conditions in Spring MVC applications by sending specially crafted requests to endpoints that use @RequestBody byte[] parameters, potentially leading to application unavailability.

Affected Products

• Spring Framework (versions with Spring MVC)
• Applications using @RequestBody byte[] controller method parameters
• NetApp products (as referenced in security advisory NTAP-20250509-0009)

Discovery Timeline

• 2024-11-18 - CVE CVE-2024-38828 published to NVD
• 2025-05-09 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-38828

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-400 (Uncontrolled Resource Consumption), indicating that the flaw allows attackers to consume excessive system resources. The vulnerability specifically targets Spring MVC controller methods that accept request bodies as byte arrays. When a controller method is annotated with @RequestBody and expects a byte[] parameter, the framework's handling of incoming request data can be exploited to cause resource exhaustion.

The network-accessible nature of this vulnerability means attackers can exploit it remotely without requiring authentication or user interaction. While the confidentiality and integrity of the system remain unaffected, the availability impact allows attackers to degrade or disrupt service operations.

Root Cause

The root cause lies in improper resource consumption controls within Spring MVC's request body processing mechanism. When handling @RequestBody byte[] parameters, the framework may not adequately limit or validate the resources consumed during request processing, allowing malicious actors to craft requests that exhaust system resources such as memory or CPU cycles.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based, meaning remote attackers can exploit this vulnerability by sending malicious HTTP requests to vulnerable Spring MVC endpoints. The attack requires:

1. Identifying an endpoint with an @RequestBody byte[] method parameter
2. Crafting HTTP requests designed to trigger excessive resource consumption
3. Sending these requests to cause denial of service conditions

The vulnerability can be exploited without special privileges or user interaction, making it accessible to any network-reachable attacker.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-38828

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual spikes in memory consumption on application servers running Spring MVC
• High CPU utilization correlated with incoming HTTP requests
• Application unresponsiveness or timeout errors on endpoints using @RequestBody byte[]
• Increased garbage collection activity or OutOfMemoryError exceptions in application logs

Detection Strategies

• Monitor Spring MVC application endpoints for abnormal request patterns targeting byte[] parameter handlers
• Implement request size monitoring and alerting for endpoints that accept binary data
• Deploy web application firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block oversized or malformed request bodies
• Review application logs for repeated failed requests or resource exhaustion errors

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable detailed logging for Spring MVC request processing to capture request sizes and processing times
• Set up alerts for sudden increases in memory usage or request processing latency
• Monitor thread pool utilization for signs of thread starvation caused by long-running requests
• Implement APM (Application Performance Monitoring) to track endpoint-specific performance metrics

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-38828

Immediate Actions Required

• Review all Spring MVC controller methods to identify endpoints using @RequestBody byte[] parameters
• Implement request size limits at the application or reverse proxy level
• Apply vendor patches as they become available from Spring and affected product vendors
• Consider implementing rate limiting on vulnerable endpoints as a temporary measure

Patch Information

Refer to the official Spring Security Advisory CVE-2024-38828 for the latest patch information and recommended upgrade paths. NetApp customers should also review the NetApp Security Advisory NTAP-20250509-0009 for product-specific guidance.

Workarounds

• Configure maximum request body size limits in your application server (Tomcat, Jetty, etc.) or reverse proxy
• Implement custom validation logic to check request body sizes before processing
• Consider refactoring affected endpoints to use streaming approaches or alternative parameter types with built-in size controls
• Deploy WAF rules to filter requests that exceed reasonable size thresholds for affected endpoints

# Example: Configure Tomcat max request size in server.xml
# Add maxPostSize attribute to Connector element
# maxPostSize="2097152" limits POST body to 2MB

# Example: Spring Boot application.properties configuration
# server.tomcat.max-http-form-post-size=2MB
# spring.servlet.multipart.max-request-size=2MB