nimiq/core-rs-albatross is a Rust implementation of the Nimiq Proof-of-Stake protocol based on the Albatross consensus algorithm. The nimiq-network-libp2p subcrate of nimiq/core-rs-albatross is vulnerable to a Denial of Service (DoS) attack due to uncontrolled memory allocation. Specifically, the implementation of the Discovery network message handling allocates a buffer based on a length value provided by the peer, without enforcing an upper bound. Since this length is a u32, a peer can trigger allocations of up to 4 GB, potentially leading to memory exhaustion and node crashes. As Discovery messages are regularly exchanged for peer discovery, this vulnerability can be exploited repeatedly. The patch for this vulnerability is formally released as part of v1.1.0. The patch implements a limit to the discovery message size of 1 MB and also resizes the message buffer size incrementally as the data is read. No known workarounds are available.
The product does not properly control the allocation and maintenance of a limited resource.
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.