TinyWeb is a web server (HTTP, HTTPS) written in Delphi for Win32. Versions prior to version 2.02 have a Denial of Service (DoS) vulnerability via memory exhaustion. Unauthenticated remote attackers can send an HTTP POST request to the server with an exceptionally large Content-Length header (e.g., 2147483647). The server continuously allocates memory for the request body (EntityBody) while streaming the payload without enforcing any maximum limit, leading to all available memory being consumed and causing the server to crash. Anyone hosting services using TinyWeb is impacted. Version 2.02 fixes the issue. The patch introduces a CMaxEntityBodySize limit (set to 10MB) for the maximum size of accepted payloads. As a temporary workaround if upgrading is not immediately possible, consider placing the server behind a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or reverse proxy (like nginx or Cloudflare) configured to explicitly limit the maximum allowed HTTP request body size (e.g., client_max_body_size in nginx).
Weakness
The product does not properly control the allocation and maintenance of a limited resource.
Affected Software
| Name | Vendor | Start Version | End Version |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tinyweb | Ritlabs | * | 2.02 (excluding) |
Potential Mitigations
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.
Related Attack Patterns
- https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/147.html
- https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/227.html
- https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/492.html