h2o is an HTTP server with support for HTTP/1.x, HTTP/2 and HTTP/3. When h2o is configured as a reverse proxy and HTTP/3 requests are cancelled by the client, h2o might crash due to an assertion failure. The crash can be exploited by an attacker to mount a Denial-of-Service attack. By default, the h2o standalone server automatically restarts, minimizing the impact. However, HTTP requests that were served concurrently will still be disrupted. The vulnerability has been addressed in commit 1ed32b2. Users may disable the use of HTTP/3 to mitigate the issue.
The product contains an assert() or similar statement that can be triggered by an attacker, which leads to an application exit or other behavior that is more severe than necessary.
| Name | Vendor | Start Version | End Version |
|---|---|---|---|
| H2o | Dena | 2024-06-18 (including) | 2024-09-04 (excluding) |
While assertion is good for catching logic errors and reducing the chances of reaching more serious vulnerability conditions, it can still lead to a denial of service. For example, if a server handles multiple simultaneous connections, and an assert() occurs in one single connection that causes all other connections to be dropped, this is a reachable assertion that leads to a denial of service.