Bug #421

mod_proxy vulnerable to resource starvation

Added by Anonymous 1065 days ago. Updated 809 days ago.

Status:New Start:
Priority:Normal Due date:
Assigned to:jan % Done:

0%

Category:mod_proxy
Target version:-
Pending:

Resolution:


Description

Mod_proxy was recently changed to NOT forward the "Connection" header to the backend, since we currently rely on the server to close the connection as soon as the request finishes.

However, the header removal should be even more strict than that, if we are to assume HTTP/1.0 behaviour.

  • Forwarding the "Keep-Alive" and/or "Host" header confuses some servers to go into 1.1 mode and/or keep the connection although there is no "Connection" header.
  • Header comparison of "Connection" is performed in a case-sensitive style. Many webservers parse their headers in a case-INsensitive way. Therefore a user can potentially cause a DoS simply by initiating lots of connections toward a proxied URL and include a header like "connection: keep-alive" (with lower caps).

-- conny

lighttpd.mod_proxy.caseless-compare.patch - [PATCH] Remove forwarding "Connection", "Host" and "Keep-Alive" -- conny (912 Bytes) Anonymous, 12/21/2005 03:07 PM

History

12/21/2005 03:05 PM - Anonymous

The "stalled" state (waiting for server to close channel) is similar to the one reported in #415.

-- conny

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