tls-listener is a rust lang wrapper around a connection listener to support TLS. With the default configuration of tls-listener, a malicious user can open 6.4 TcpStreams a second, sending 0 bytes, and can trigger a DoS. The default configuration options make any public service using TlsListener::new() vulnerable to a slow-loris DoS attack. This impacts any publicly accessible service using the default configuration of tls-listener in versions prior to 0.10.0. Users are advised to upgrade. Users unable to upgrade may mitigate this by passing a large value, such as usize::MAX as the parameter to Builder::max_handshakes.
The product does not properly control the allocation and maintenance of a limited resource.
| Name | Vendor | Start Version | End Version |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tls-listener | Tmccombs | * | 0.10.0 (excluding) |
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.