HTTP/1 Protocol Vulnerability in ruby-protocol-http1: Potential for Request Smuggling
Summary
CVE-2023-38697: protocol-http1 provides a low-level implementation of the HTTP/1 protocol. Affects ruby-protocol-http1 versions < e11fc164fd2b36f7b7e785e69fa8859eb06bcedd. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The ruby-protocol-http1 package provides a low-level implementation of the HTTP/1 protocol, allowing developers to handle HTTP requests and responses efficiently. It is widely used in Ruby applications for web communication. However, due to its handling of certain HTTP headers and chunk sizes, it is susceptible to vulnerabilities that can lead to serious security issues, including HTTP request smuggling.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability arises from the package's non-compliance with RFC 9112 Section 7.1, which specifies the correct format for the Content-Length header and chunk sizes. Specifically, the package incorrectly accepts Content-Length values with a '+' prefix, hexadecimal values with a '0x' prefix, and chunk sizes with similar prefixes. Additionally, it allows line feed (LF) characters in chunk extensions. These deviations can cause desynchronization when requests are processed by multiple HTTP parsers, potentially leading to HTTP request smuggling and bypassing of firewalls.
How To Fix
No fixed version is published for this vulnerability.
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Workaround
There are no known workarounds for this vulnerability. The best course of action is to update the package to the fixed version as mentioned above.
Conclusion
The ruby-protocol-http1 package has a significant vulnerability (CVE-2023-38697) that can lead to HTTP request smuggling due to improper handling of HTTP headers. It is crucial to update to version 0.15.1 or later to mitigate this risk. Regular monitoring and updates are essential to maintain the security of your applications.
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FAQ
CVE-2023-38697 is a vulnerability in the ruby-protocol-http1 package that allows for potential HTTP request smuggling due to improper handling of HTTP headers.
You can use the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner to check if your application is affected by this vulnerability without requiring any signup.
The consequences include the potential for HTTP request smuggling, which can lead to unauthorized access, data leakage, and bypassing of security measures like firewalls.
Yes, not updating the package leaves your application vulnerable to exploitation, which can compromise the security of your system.
The CVSS score of this vulnerability is 5.3, indicating a moderate level of severity.
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