CVE-2021-21295

Medium

Description

Netty is an open-source, asynchronous event-driven network application framework for rapid development of maintainable high performance protocol servers & clients. In Netty (io.netty:netty-codec-http2) before version 4.1.60.Final there is a vulnerability that enables request smuggling. If a Content-Length header is present in the original HTTP/2 request, the field is not validated by `Http2MultiplexHandler` as it is propagated up. This is fine as long as the request is not proxied through as HTTP/1.1. If the request comes in as an HTTP/2 stream, gets converted into the HTTP/1.1 domain objects (`HttpRequest`, `HttpContent`, etc.) via `Http2StreamFrameToHttpObjectCodec `and then sent up to the child channel's pipeline and proxied through a remote peer as HTTP/1.1 this may result in request smuggling. In a proxy case, users may assume the content-length is validated somehow, which is not the case. If the request is forwarded to a backend channel that is a HTTP/1.1 connection, the Content-Length now has meaning and needs to be checked. An attacker can smuggle requests inside the body as it gets downgraded from HTTP/2 to HTTP/1.1. For an example attack refer to the linked GitHub Advisory. Users are only affected if all of this is true: `HTTP2MultiplexCodec` or `Http2FrameCodec` is used, `Http2StreamFrameToHttpObjectCodec` is used to convert to HTTP/1.1 objects, and these HTTP/1.1 objects are forwarded to another remote peer. This has been patched in 4.1.60.Final As a workaround, the user can do the validation by themselves by implementing a custom `ChannelInboundHandler` that is put in the `ChannelPipeline` behind `Http2StreamFrameToHttpObjectCodec`.

SeverityMedium
CVSS5.9
Exploit probability—
ProductNetty
PublishedMar 9, 2021
First seenMar 9, 2021
Weakness typeCWE-444CWE-444

How to fix

Update
  • netty netty4.1.60 or later
  • apache kudu1.16.0 or later
  • io.netty:netty-codec-http24.1.60.Final or later

Affected products

ProductAffected versionsFixed in
netty nettyv < 4.1.604.1.60
netapp oncommand_api_servicesNo range specified—
netapp oncommand_workflow_automationNo range specified—
debian debian_linux10.0—
quarkus quarkusv ≤ 1.13.7—
apache kuduv < 1.16.01.16.0
apache zookeeper3.5.9—
oracle communications_cloud_native_core_policy1.14.0—
io.netty:netty-codec-http2Maven4.0.0 ≤ v < 4.1.60.Final4.1.60.Final
org.jboss.netty:nettyMavenNo range specified—
io.netty:nettyMavenNo range specified—

Check your version

Choose the product and enter the version you run to see whether it falls in the affected range.

In the Intelligence 360 plan

Attack Surface Management

See the assets tied to your domains, the technologies they run and known vulnerabilities in one list.