CVE-2023-36478: Eclipse Jetty provides a web server and servlet container. In versions 11.0.0 through 11.0.15, 10.0.0 through 10.0.15, and 9.0.0 through 9.4.52, an in...

Description

Eclipse Jetty provides a web server and servlet container. In versions 11.0.0 through 11.0.15, 10.0.0 through 10.0.15, and 9.0.0 through 9.4.52, an integer overflow in `MetaDataBuilder.checkSize` allows for HTTP/2 HPACK header values to exceed their size limit. `MetaDataBuilder.java` determines if a header name or value exceeds the size limit, and throws an exception if the limit is exceeded. However, when length is very large and huffman is true, the multiplication by 4 in line 295 will overflow, and length will become negative. `(_size+length)` will now be negative, and the check on line 296 will not be triggered. Furthermore, `MetaDataBuilder.checkSize` allows for user-entered HPACK header value sizes to be negative, potentially leading to a very large buffer allocation later on when the user-entered size is multiplied by 2. This means that if a user provides a negative length value (or, more precisely, a length value which, when multiplied by the 4/3 fudge factor, is negative), and this length value is a very large positive number when multiplied by 2, then the user can cause a very large buffer to be allocated on the server. Users of HTTP/2 can be impacted by a remote denial of service attack. The issue has been fixed in versions 11.0.16, 10.0.16, and 9.4.53. There are no known workarounds.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

7.5/10

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

EPSS Probability

3.75%

88.5th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions
Eclipse	Jetty	>= 9.3.0, < 9.4.53
Eclipse	Jetty	>= 10.0.0, < 10.0.16
Eclipse	Jetty	>= 11.0.0, < 11.0.16
Jenkins	Jenkins	< 2.414.3
Jenkins	Jenkins	< 2.428
Debian	Debian Linux	10.0
Debian	Debian Linux	11.0
Debian	Debian Linux	12.0

References

http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/10/18/4Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
https://github.com/eclipse/jetty.project/pull/9634Issue Tracking, Patch
https://github.com/eclipse/jetty.project/releases/tag/jetty-10.0.16Release Notes
https://github.com/eclipse/jetty.project/releases/tag/jetty-11.0.16Release Notes
https://github.com/eclipse/jetty.project/releases/tag/jetty-9.4.53.v20231009Release Notes
https://github.com/eclipse/jetty.project/security/advisories/GHSA-wgh7-54f2-x98rExploit, Vendor Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2023/10/msg00045.htmlMailing List
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20231116-0011/Third Party Advisory
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20240621-0006/
https://www.debian.org/security/2023/dsa-5540Third Party Advisory
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/10/18/4Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
https://github.com/eclipse/jetty.project/pull/9634Issue Tracking, Patch
https://github.com/eclipse/jetty.project/releases/tag/jetty-10.0.16Release Notes
https://github.com/eclipse/jetty.project/releases/tag/jetty-11.0.16Release Notes
https://github.com/eclipse/jetty.project/releases/tag/jetty-9.4.53.v20231009Release Notes
https://github.com/eclipse/jetty.project/security/advisories/GHSA-wgh7-54f2-x98rExploit, Vendor Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2023/10/msg00045.htmlMailing List
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20231116-0011/Third Party Advisory
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20240621-0006/
https://www.debian.org/security/2023/dsa-5540Third Party Advisory

Timeline

Published: Oct 10, 2023
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Modified

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-36478?

Eclipse Jetty provides a web server and servlet container. In versions 11.0.0 through 11.0.15, 10.0.0 through 10.0.15, and 9.0.0 through 9.4.52, an integer overflow in `MetaDataBuilder.checkSize` allows for HTTP/2 HPACK header values to exceed their size limit. `MetaDataBuilder.java` determines if a header name or value exceeds the size limit, and throws an exception if the limit is exceeded. However, when length is very large and huffman is true, the multiplication by 4 in line 295 will overflow, and length will become negative. `(_size+length)` will now be negative, and the check on line 296 will not be triggered. Furthermore, `MetaDataBuilder.checkSize` allows for user-entered HPACK header value sizes to be negative, potentially leading to a very large buffer allocation later on when the user-entered size is multiplied by 2. This means that if a user provides a negative length value (or, more precisely, a length value which, when multiplied by the 4/3 fudge factor, is negative), and this length value is a very large positive number when multiplied by 2, then the user can cause a very large buffer to be allocated on the server. Users of HTTP/2 can be impacted by a remote denial of service attack. The issue has been fixed in versions 11.0.16, 10.0.16, and 9.4.53. There are no known workarounds.

How severe is CVE-2023-36478?

CVE-2023-36478 has a CVSS score of 7.5/10 (HIGH severity). The EPSS model estimates a 3.75% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2023-36478?

Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.