Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

SecurityWeekSecurityWeek

Application Security

High-Risk Flaw Haunts Apache Server

The Apache Software Foundation has released a new version of its flagship web server to patch a pair of security defects, one serious enough to lead to remote code execution attacks.

The Apache Software Foundation has released a new version of its flagship web server to patch a pair of security defects, one serious enough to lead to remote code execution attacks.

The Apache HTTP Server 2.4.52 is listed as urgent and the U.S. government’s security response agency CISA is calling on users of the open-source cross-platform web server software to “update as soon as possible.”

The patch provides cover for two documented security vulnerabilities  — CVE-2021-44790 and CVE-2021-44224 — one of which may allow a remote attacker to take control of an affected system.

From the Apache Software Foundation advisory:

HIGH: Possible buffer overflow when parsing multipart content in mod_lua of Apache HTTP Server 2.4.51 and earlier (CVE-2021-44790)

A carefully crafted request body can cause a buffer overflow in the mod_lua multipart parser (r:parsebody() called from Lua scripts).

The Apache httpd team is not aware of an exploit for the vulnerability though it might be possible to craft one.

The open-source group also documented CVE-2021-44224, a “moderate-risk” NULL dereference or SSRF in forward proxy configurations in Apache HTTP Server 2.4.51 and earlier.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

“A crafted URI sent to httpd configured as a forward proxy (ProxyRequests on) can cause a crash (NULL pointer dereference) or, for configurations mixing forward and reverse proxy declarations, can allow for requests to be directed to a declared Unix Domain Socket endpoint (Server Side Request Forgery),” the Foundation said.

Security flaws in the Apache HTTP Server have been identified in the “known exploited vulnerabilities catalog” maintained by CISA.  The agency recently called attention to CVE-2021-40438, a Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) bug that’s already being exploited in the wild.

According to the latest market share data from Netcraft, the Apache HTTP Server continues to be dominant on the internet.

Related: Exploits Swirling for Major Security Defect in Apache Log4j

Related: CISA Adds Apache Server Flaw to ‘Must-Patch’ List

Related: Microsoft Spots Multiple Nation-State APTs Exploiting Log4j Flaw

Written By

Ryan Naraine is Editor-at-Large at SecurityWeek and host of the popular Security Conversations podcast series. He is a security community engagement expert who has built programs at major global brands, including Intel Corp., Bishop Fox and GReAT. Ryan is a founding-director of the Security Tinkerers non-profit, an advisor to early-stage entrepreneurs, and a regular speaker at security conferences around the world.

Click to comment

Trending

Daily Briefing Newsletter

Subscribe to the SecurityWeek Email Briefing to stay informed on the latest threats, trends, and technology, along with insightful columns from industry experts.

Join the session as we discuss the challenges and best practices for cybersecurity leaders managing cloud identities.

Register

SecurityWeek’s Ransomware Resilience and Recovery Summit helps businesses to plan, prepare, and recover from a ransomware incident.

Register

Expert Insights

Related Content

Application Security

Cycode, a startup that provides solutions for protecting software source code, emerged from stealth mode on Tuesday with $4.6 million in seed funding.

Vulnerabilities

Less than a week after announcing that it would suspended service indefinitely due to a conflict with an (at the time) unnamed security researcher...

Cybercrime

The changing nature of what we still generally call ransomware will continue through 2023, driven by three primary conditions.

Data Protection

The cryptopocalypse is the point at which quantum computing becomes powerful enough to use Shor’s algorithm to crack PKI encryption.

Cybercrime

A recently disclosed vBulletin vulnerability, which had a zero-day status for roughly two days last week, was exploited in a hacker attack targeting the...

Identity & Access

Zero trust is not a replacement for identity and access management (IAM), but is the extension of IAM principles from people to everyone and...

Data Breaches

OpenAI has confirmed a ChatGPT data breach on the same day a security firm reported seeing the use of a component affected by an...