CVE-2021-1723: Microsoft.AspNetCore.Server.Kestrel.Core Denial of Service Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-242j-2gm6-5rwx
CVSS 7.5
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2021-1723 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) denial of service vulnerability (General Security Weakness) affecting Microsoft.AspNetCore.Server.Kestrel.Core libraries in the NuGet ecosystem. The issue involves asp.net core and visual studio denial of service vulnerability. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.1.25, 3.1.11, 5.0.2.

CVE-2021-1723 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2021-1723
GHSA Identifier GHSA-242j-2gm6-5rwx
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.5
CWE Classification General Security Weakness
Affected Product Microsoft.AspNetCore.Server.Kestrel.Core
Package Ecosystem NuGet
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.5

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality None (C:N)
Integrity None (I:N)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2021-1723

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Microsoft.AspNetCore.Server.Kestrel.Core dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

Microsoft.AspNetCore.Server.Kestrel.Core fixed: 2.1.25
Upgrade Microsoft.AspNetCore.Server.Kestrel.Core to 2.1.25
Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.linux-arm fixed: 3.1.11
Upgrade Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.linux-arm to 3.1.11
Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.linux-arm fixed: 5.0.2
Upgrade Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.linux-arm to 5.0.2
Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.linux-arm64 fixed: 3.1.11
Upgrade Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.linux-arm64 to 3.1.11
Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.linux-arm64 fixed: 5.0.2
Upgrade Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.linux-arm64 to 5.0.2
Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.linux-musl-arm64 fixed: 3.1.11
Upgrade Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.linux-musl-arm64 to 3.1.11
Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.linux-musl-arm64 fixed: 5.0.2
Upgrade Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.linux-musl-arm64 to 5.0.2
Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.linux-musl-x64 fixed: 3.1.11
Upgrade Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.linux-musl-x64 to 3.1.11
Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.linux-musl-x64 fixed: 5.0.2
Upgrade Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.linux-musl-x64 to 5.0.2
Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.linux-x64 fixed: 3.1.11
Upgrade Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.linux-x64 to 3.1.11
Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.linux-x64 fixed: 5.0.2
Upgrade Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.linux-x64 to 5.0.2
Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.osx-x64 fixed: 3.1.11
Upgrade Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.osx-x64 to 3.1.11
Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.osx-x64 fixed: 5.0.2
Upgrade Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.osx-x64 to 5.0.2
Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.win-arm fixed: 3.1.11
Upgrade Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.win-arm to 3.1.11
Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.win-arm fixed: 5.0.2
Upgrade Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.win-arm to 5.0.2
Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.win-arm64 fixed: 3.1.11
Upgrade Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.win-arm64 to 3.1.11
Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.win-arm64 fixed: 5.0.2
Upgrade Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.win-arm64 to 5.0.2
Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.win-x64 fixed: 3.1.11
Upgrade Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.win-x64 to 3.1.11
Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.win-x64 fixed: 5.0.2
Upgrade Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.win-x64 to 5.0.2
Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.win-x86 fixed: 3.1.11
Upgrade Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.win-x86 to 3.1.11
Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.win-x86 fixed: 5.0.2
Upgrade Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.win-x86 to 5.0.2
Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.linux-musl-arm fixed: 5.0.2
Upgrade Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.linux-musl-arm to 5.0.2
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release:

inspect dependencies for Microsoft.AspNetCore.Server.Kestrel.Core

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2021-1723, inspect your project dependencies for Microsoft.AspNetCore.Server.Kestrel.Core:

inspect dependencies for Microsoft.AspNetCore.Server.Kestrel.Core

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Microsoft.AspNetCore.Server.Kestrel.Core in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 2.1.25), your application is affected.

Note: Verify declared build manifests and deployed runtime container environments.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under General Security Weakness. In Microsoft.AspNetCore.Server.Kestrel.Core, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

A denial-of-service vulnerability exists in the way Kestrel parses HTTP/2 requests. The security update addresses the vulnerability by fixing the way the Kestrel parses HTTP/2 requests. Users are advised to upgrade.

CVE-2021-1723 Affected Microsoft.AspNetCore.Server.Kestrel.Core Versions

22 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.1.253.1.115.0.2
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
Microsoft.AspNetCore.Server.Kestrel.Core
NuGet
< 2.1.25
2.1.25
Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.linux-arm
NuGet
≥ 3.1.0
< 3.1.11
3.1.11
Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.linux-arm
NuGet
≥ 5.0.0
< 5.0.2
5.0.2
Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.linux-arm64
NuGet
≥ 3.1.0
< 3.1.11
3.1.11
Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.linux-arm64
NuGet
≥ 5.0.0
< 5.0.2
5.0.2
Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.linux-musl-arm64
NuGet
≥ 3.1.0
< 3.1.11
3.1.11
Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.linux-musl-arm64
NuGet
≥ 5.0.0
< 5.0.2
5.0.2
Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.linux-musl-x64
NuGet
≥ 3.1.0
< 3.1.11
3.1.11
Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.linux-musl-x64
NuGet
≥ 5.0.0
< 5.0.2
5.0.2
Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.linux-x64
NuGet
≥ 3.1.0
< 3.1.11
3.1.11
Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.linux-x64
NuGet
≥ 5.0.0
< 5.0.2
5.0.2
Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.osx-x64
NuGet
≥ 3.1.0
< 3.1.11
3.1.11
Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.osx-x64
NuGet
≥ 5.0.0
< 5.0.2
5.0.2
Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.win-arm
NuGet
≥ 3.1.0
< 3.1.11
3.1.11
Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.win-arm
NuGet
≥ 5.0.0
< 5.0.2
5.0.2
Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.win-arm64
NuGet
≥ 3.1.0
< 3.1.11
3.1.11
Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.win-arm64
NuGet
≥ 5.0.0
< 5.0.2
5.0.2
Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.win-x64
NuGet
≥ 3.1.0
< 3.1.11
3.1.11
Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.win-x64
NuGet
≥ 5.0.0
< 5.0.2
5.0.2
Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.win-x86
NuGet
≥ 3.1.0
< 3.1.11
3.1.11
Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.win-x86
NuGet
≥ 5.0.0
< 5.0.2
5.0.2
Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.linux-musl-arm
NuGet
≥ 5.0.1
< 5.0.2
All 1 versions
5.0.1
5.0.2

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-1723?
CVE-2021-1723 is a security vulnerability in Microsoft.AspNetCore.Server.Kestrel.Core involving ASP.NET Core and Visual Studio Denial of Service Vulnerability under General Security Weakness.
Which Microsoft.AspNetCore.Server.Kestrel.Core versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.1.25, 3.1.11, 5.0.2 across affected packages: Microsoft.AspNetCore.Server.Kestrel.Core, Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.linux-arm, Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.linux-arm64, Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.linux-musl-arm64, Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.linux-musl-x64, Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.linux-x64, Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.osx-x64, Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.win-arm, Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.win-arm64, Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.win-x64, Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.win-x86, Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.linux-musl-arm.
What version fixes CVE-2021-1723?
Upgrading to 2.1.25, 3.1.11, 5.0.2 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is Microsoft.AspNetCore.Server.Kestrel.Core affected?
Yes, Microsoft.AspNetCore.Server.Kestrel.Core is affected in releases prior to 2.1.25. Upgrade your dependency to 2.1.25 or later.
Is Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.linux-arm affected?
Yes, Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.linux-arm is affected in releases prior to 3.1.11, 5.0.2. Upgrade your dependency to 3.1.11, 5.0.2 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-1723?
CVE-2021-1723 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2021-1723?
CVE-2021-1723 is classified under General Security Weakness.
How can I check NuGet dependencies for CVE-2021-1723?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for Microsoft.AspNetCore.Server.Kestrel.Core'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-242j-2gm6-5rwx",
  "modified" : "2024-10-09T18:33:50Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-24T17:38:51Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2021-1723" ],
  "summary" : "ASP.NET Core and Visual Studio Denial of Service Vulnerability",
  "details" : "A denial-of-service vulnerability exists in the way Kestrel parses HTTP/2 requests. The security update addresses the vulnerability by fixing the way the Kestrel parses HTTP/2 requests. Users are advised to upgrade.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "NuGet",
      "name" : "Microsoft.AspNetCore.Server.Kestrel.Core"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.1.25"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "NuGet",
      "name" : "Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.linux-arm"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "3.1.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.1.11"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "NuGet",
      "name" : "Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.linux-arm"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "5.0.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "5.0.2"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "NuGet",
      "name" : "Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.linux-arm64"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "3.1.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.1.11"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "NuGet",
      "name" : "Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.linux-arm64"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "5.0.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "5.0.2"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "NuGet",
      "name" : "Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.linux-musl-arm64"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "3.1.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.1.11"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "NuGet",
      "name" : "Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.linux-musl-arm64"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "5.0.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "5.0.2"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "NuGet",
      "name" : "Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.linux-musl-x64"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "3.1.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.1.11"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "NuGet",
      "name" : "Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.linux-musl-x64"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "5.0.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "5.0.2"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "NuGet",
      "name" : "Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.linux-x64"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "3.1.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.1.11"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "NuGet",
      "name" : "Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.linux-x64"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "5.0.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "5.0.2"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "NuGet",
      "name" : "Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.osx-x64"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "3.1.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.1.11"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "NuGet",
      "name" : "Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.osx-x64"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "5.0.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "5.0.2"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "NuGet",
      "name" : "Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.win-arm"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "3.1.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.1.11"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "NuGet",
      "name" : "Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.win-arm"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "5.0.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "5.0.2"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "NuGet",
      "name" : "Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.win-arm64"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "3.1.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.1.11"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "NuGet",
      "name" : "Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.win-arm64"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "5.0.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "5.0.2"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "NuGet",
      "name" : "Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.win-x64"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "3.1.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.1.11"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "NuGet",
      "name" : "Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.win-x64"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "5.0.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "5.0.2"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "NuGet",
      "name" : "Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.win-x86"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "3.1.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.1.11"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "NuGet",
      "name" : "Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.win-x86"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "5.0.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "5.0.2"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "NuGet",
      "name" : "Microsoft.AspNetCore.App.Runtime.linux-musl-arm"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "5.0.1"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "5.0.2"
      } ]
    } ],
    "versions" : [ "5.0.1" ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-1723"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/dotnet/announcements/issues/170"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/3L27CGRVEWUPELNJOGTCW6GLEDBECB4B"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/RRXHERXW4KR5WCP76UDW5PC7GX3YQLUW"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2021-1723"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-10-24T20:26:09Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2021-01-12T20:15:00Z"
  }
}