CVE-2021-32785: Format string bug in the Redis cache implementation

Published Jul 22, 2021
·
Updated

modauthopenidc is an authentication/authorization module for the Apache 2.x HTTP server that functions as an OpenID Connect Relying Party, authenticating users against an OpenID Connect Provider. When modauthopenidc versions prior to 2.4.9 are configured to use an unencrypted Redis cache (OIDCCacheEncrypt off, OIDCSessionType server-cache, OIDCCacheType redis), modauthopenidc wrongly performed argument interpolation before passing Redis requests to hiredis, which would perform it again and lead to an uncontrolled format string bug. Initial assessment shows that this bug does not appear to allow gaining arbitrary code execution, but can reliably provoke a denial of service by repeatedly crashing the Apache workers. This bug has been corrected in version 2.4.9 by performing argument interpolation only once, using the hiredis API. As a workaround, this vulnerability can be mitigated by setting OIDCCacheEncrypt to on, as cache keys are cryptographically hashed before use when this option is enabled.

Affected Software

6 affected components
openidc Mod Auth Openidc<2.4.9
Apache HTTP Server>=2.0.0<=2.4.48
All of the following
openidc Mod Auth Openidc<2.4.9
Apache HTTP Server>=2.0.0<=2.4.48
NetApp Cloud Backup
Debian Debian Linux=10.0

Event History

Jul 22, 2021
CVE Published
via MITRE·12:00 AM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·12:00 AM
DescriptionSeverityWeakness
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Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is CVE-2021-32785?

CVE-2021-32785 is a vulnerability in mod_auth_openidc version prior to 2.4.9 that allows an attacker to perform unauthorized actions.

2

What is mod_auth_openidc?

mod_auth_openidc is an authentication/authorization module for the Apache 2.x HTTP server that functions as an OpenID Connect Relying Party.

3

How does CVE-2021-32785 affect mod_auth_openidc?

CVE-2021-32785 affects mod_auth_openidc versions prior to 2.4.9 by allowing an attacker to exploit an unencrypted Redis cache.

4

What is the severity of CVE-2021-32785?

CVE-2021-32785 has a severity rating of high (7.5).

5

How can I fix CVE-2021-32785?

To fix CVE-2021-32785, upgrade mod_auth_openidc to version 2.4.9 or later.

Contact

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