A flaw was found in the machine-config-operator that causes an OpenShift node to become unresponsive when a container consumes a large amount of memory. An attacker could use this flaw to deny access to schedule new pods in the OpenShift cluster. This was fixed in openshift/machine-config-operator 4.4.3, openshift/machine-config-operator 4.3.25, openshift/machine-config-operator 4.2.36.
The product does not properly control the allocation and maintenance of a limited resource.
| Name | Vendor | Start Version | End Version |
|---|---|---|---|
| Machine-config-operator | Redhat | 4.2.0 (including) | 4.2.36 (excluding) |
| Machine-config-operator | Redhat | 4.3.0 (including) | 4.3.25 (excluding) |
| Machine-config-operator | Redhat | 4.4.0 (including) | 4.4.3 (excluding) |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.2 | RedHat | openshift4/ose-machine-config-operator:v4.2.36-202006230600.p0 | * |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.3 | RedHat | openshift4/ose-machine-config-operator:v4.3.25-202006081335 | * |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.4 | RedHat | openshift4/ose-machine-config-operator:v4.4.0-202005011342 | * |
Mitigation of resource exhaustion attacks requires that the target system either:
The first of these solutions is an issue in itself though, since it may allow attackers to prevent the use of the system by a particular valid user. If the attacker impersonates the valid user, they may be able to prevent the user from accessing the server in question.
The second solution is simply difficult to effectively institute – and even when properly done, it does not provide a full solution. It simply makes the attack require more resources on the part of the attacker.