A recently discovered flaw in the HTTP/2 protocol, which underpins a significant portion of web traffic, has raised concerns among cybersecurity experts. The vulnerability, known as the “rapid reset flaw,” could potentially expose users to a range of security threats.
Recently, tech giants like Google, Amazon, Microsoft, and Cloudflare faced massive distributed denial of service attacks on their cloud platforms. These attacks in August and September broke previous records in terms of size and intensity.
Google Cloud’s Emil Kiner and Tim April highlighted the severe consequences of such attacks, stating, “DDoS attacks can have wide-ranging impacts to victim organizations, including loss of business and unavailability of mission critical applications, which often cost victims time and money. Time to recover from DDoS attacks can stretch well beyond the end of an attack.”
Understanding the rapid reset flaw
Designed to speed up website loading and enhance web performance, HTTP/2 now has a known vulnerability. Attackers can exploit this flaw to disrupt connections by resetting them quickly, leading to potential denial-of-service attacks and significant website user disruptions.
The flaw isn’t specific to any software but exists within the HTTP/2 network protocol specification. The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) introduced HTTP/2 as an upgrade to the traditional HTTP protocol. Its improved mobile performance and reduced bandwidth use have made it popular. Now, the IETF is developing HTTP/3.
Cloudflare’s Lucas Pardue and Julien Desgats shed light on the scope of this vulnerability, noting, “Because the attack abuses an underlying weakness in the HTTP/2 protocol, we believe any vendor that has implemented HTTP/2 will be subject to the attack.” While a few implementations might remain unaffected by rapid reset, they stress its relevance to “virtually every modern web server.”
According to Wired, the issue arises when attackers manipulate the protocol’s “reset stream” feature. By doing so, they can flood servers with reset commands, causing them to crash or become unresponsive.
Implications for web security
The discovery of this flaw underscores the importance of continuous security assessments, even for widely adopted protocols like HTTP/2. While the protocol has been in use for several years, vulnerabilities can remain hidden and only come to light after rigorous testing.
It’s worth noting that while the rapid reset flaw poses a threat, it doesn’t allow attackers to steal data or inject malicious code. However, the potential for causing service disruptions makes it a concern for website operators and businesses that rely on stable web connections.
The cybersecurity community is now working on patches and updates to address this vulnerability. In the meantime, web administrators are advised to stay vigilant and monitor their servers for any unusual activity.
A reminder of the web’s fragility
This recent discovery serves as a reminder of the inherent vulnerabilities in the digital infrastructure we often take for granted. As technology evolves, so do the challenges and threats associated with it. It underscores the need for ongoing research, vigilance, and collaboration among the tech community to ensure a safer digital landscape for all.
