CVE-2011-4320: Ejabberd Denial of Service Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-2h3q-v47h-f4rc
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CWE-400
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2011-4320 is a MODERATE denial of service vulnerability (CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption) affecting Ejabberd libraries in the Hex ecosystem. The issue involves ejabberd dos via malformed stanza. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.1.9, 3.0.0-alpha-4.

CVE-2011-4320 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2011-4320
GHSA Identifier GHSA-2h3q-v47h-f4rc
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score N/A
CWE Classification CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption
Affected Product Ejabberd
Package Ecosystem Hex
Published Date
Last Updated

How to Fix CVE-2011-4320

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

ejabberd fixed: 2.1.9 
Upgrade ejabberd to 2.1.9
ejabberd fixed: 3.0.0-alpha-4 
Upgrade ejabberd to 3.0.0-alpha-4
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 ejabberd

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2011-4320, inspect your project dependencies for Ejabberd:

inspect dependencies for ejabberd

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Ejabberd in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 2.1.9), 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 CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption, where the product does not properly control the allocation and maintenance of a limited resource. In Ejabberd, 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

The `mod_pubsub` module (mod_pubsub.erl) in ejabberd 2.1.8 and 3.0.0-alpha-3 allows remote authenticated users to cause a denial of service (infinite loop) via a stanza with a publish tag that lacks a node attribute.

CVE-2011-4320 Affected Ejabberd Versions

2 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.1.93.0.0-alpha-4
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
ejabberd
 Hex
< 2.1.9
2.1.9
ejabberd
 Hex
≥ 3.0.0-alpha-1
< 3.0.0-alpha-4
3.0.0-alpha-4

References

NVD — CVE-2011-4320 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2011-4320
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/processone/ejabberd/commit/d3c4eab46f3cd54f7686cfed740d9c130b6801cf
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/processone/ejabberd/commit/d5b4d6785879f0a5192c26f5b5e218aec8104798
Ejabberd Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/processone/ejabberd
support.process-one.net/browse/ejab-1498 WEB
https://support.process-one.net/browse/EJAB-1498
Ejabberd Security Information SECURITY
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2011/11/19/1
Ejabberd Security Information SECURITY
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2011/11/19/2
www.process-one.net/en/ejabberd/release... WEB
http://www.process-one.net/en/ejabberd/release_notes/release_note_ejabberd_2.1.9

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2011-4320?
CVE-2011-4320 is a security vulnerability in Ejabberd involving Ejabberd DoS via malformed stanza under CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption.
Which Ejabberd versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.1.9, 3.0.0-alpha-4 across affected packages: ejabberd.
What version fixes CVE-2011-4320?
Upgrading to 2.1.9, 3.0.0-alpha-4 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is ejabberd affected?
Yes, ejabberd is affected in releases prior to 2.1.9, 3.0.0-alpha-4. Upgrade your dependency to 2.1.9, 3.0.0-alpha-4 or later.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2011-4320?
CVE-2011-4320 is classified under CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption (The product does not properly control the allocation and maintenance of a limited resource.).
How can I check Hex dependencies for CVE-2011-4320?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for ejabberd'. 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
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-2h3q-v47h-f4rc",
  "modified" : "2024-01-19T19:14:32Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-17T05:32:37Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2011-4320" ],
  "summary" : "Ejabberd DoS via malformed stanza",
  "details" : "The `mod_pubsub` module (mod_pubsub.erl) in ejabberd 2.1.8 and 3.0.0-alpha-3 allows remote authenticated users to cause a denial of service (infinite loop) via a stanza with a publish tag that lacks a node attribute.",
  "severity" : [ ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Hex",
      "name" : "ejabberd"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.1.9"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 2.1.8"
    }
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Hex",
      "name" : "ejabberd"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "3.0.0-alpha-1"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.0.0-alpha-4"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 3.0.0-alpha-3"
    }
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2011-4320"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/processone/ejabberd/commit/d3c4eab46f3cd54f7686cfed740d9c130b6801cf"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/processone/ejabberd/commit/d5b4d6785879f0a5192c26f5b5e218aec8104798"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/processone/ejabberd"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://support.process-one.net/browse/EJAB-1498"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2011/11/19/1"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2011/11/19/2"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.process-one.net/en/ejabberd/release_notes/release_note_ejabberd_2.1.9"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-400" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2024-01-19T19:14:32Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2012-02-18T00:55:00Z"
  }
}