CVE-2021-21295

Netty is an open-source, asynchronous event-driven network application framework for rapid development of maintainable high performance protocol servers & clients. In Netty (io.netty:netty-codec-http2) before version 4.1.60.Final there is a vulnerability that enables request smuggling. If a Content-Length header is present in the original HTTP/2 request, the field is not validated by `Http2MultiplexHandler` as it is propagated up. This is fine as long as the request is not proxied through as HTTP/1.1. If the request comes in as an HTTP/2 stream, gets converted into the HTTP/1.1 domain objects (`HttpRequest`, `HttpContent`, etc.) via `Http2StreamFrameToHttpObjectCodec `and then sent up to the child channel's pipeline and proxied through a remote peer as HTTP/1.1 this may result in request smuggling. In a proxy case, users may assume the content-length is validated somehow, which is not the case. If the request is forwarded to a backend channel that is a HTTP/1.1 connection, the Content-Length now has meaning and needs to be checked. An attacker can smuggle requests inside the body as it gets downgraded from HTTP/2 to HTTP/1.1. For an example attack refer to the linked GitHub Advisory. Users are only affected if all of this is true: `HTTP2MultiplexCodec` or `Http2FrameCodec` is used, `Http2StreamFrameToHttpObjectCodec` is used to convert to HTTP/1.1 objects, and these HTTP/1.1 objects are forwarded to another remote peer. This has been patched in 4.1.60.Final As a workaround, the user can do the validation by themselves by implementing a custom `ChannelInboundHandler` that is put in the `ChannelPipeline` behind `Http2StreamFrameToHttpObjectCodec`.
HTTP Request/Response Smuggling
ProviderTypeBase ScoreAtk. VectorAtk. ComplexityPriv. RequiredVector
NISTNIST
5.9 MEDIUM
NETWORK
HIGH
NONE
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
GitHub_MCNA
5.9 MEDIUM
NETWORK
HIGH
NONE
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
CVEADP
---
---
Base Score
CVSS 3.x
EPSS Score
Percentile: 77%
VendorProductVersion
nettynetty
𝑥
< 4.1.60
netapponcommand_api_services
-
netapponcommand_workflow_automation
-
debiandebian_linux
10.0
quarkusquarkus
𝑥
≤ 1.13.7
apachekudu
𝑥
< 1.16.0
apachezookeeper
3.5.9
oraclecommunications_cloud_native_core_policy
1.14.0
𝑥
= Vulnerable software versions
Debian logo
Debian Releases
Debian Product
Codename
netty
bullseye (security)
1:4.1.48-4+deb11u2
fixed
bullseye
1:4.1.48-4+deb11u2
fixed
stretch
ignored
bookworm
1:4.1.48-7+deb12u1
fixed
bookworm (security)
1:4.1.48-7+deb12u1
fixed
sid
1:4.1.48-10
fixed
trixie
1:4.1.48-10
fixed
Ubuntu logo
Ubuntu Releases
Ubuntu Product
Codename
netty
noble
needs-triage
mantic
ignored
lunar
ignored
kinetic
Fixed 1:4.1.48-5ubuntu0.1
released
jammy
Fixed 1:4.1.48-4+deb11u1build0.22.04.1
released
impish
ignored
hirsute
ignored
groovy
ignored
focal
Fixed 1:4.1.45-1ubuntu0.1~esm1
released
bionic
Fixed 1:4.1.7-4ubuntu0.1+esm2
released
xenial
Fixed 1:4.0.34-1ubuntu0.1~esm1
released
trusty
needs-triage
References