DoS via best_of overuse in ilab vllm API
CVE-2024-8939 Published on September 17, 2024

Vllm: denials of service in vllm json web api
A vulnerability was found in the ilab model serve component, where improper handling of the best_of parameter in the vllm JSON web API can lead to a Denial of Service (DoS). The API used for LLM-based sentence or chat completion accepts a best_of parameter to return the best completion from several options. When this parameter is set to a large value, the API does not handle timeouts or resource exhaustion properly, allowing an attacker to cause a DoS by consuming excessive system resources. This leads to the API becoming unresponsive, preventing legitimate users from accessing the service.

NVD

Vulnerability Analysis

CVE-2024-8939 can be exploited with local system access, and does not require authorization privileges or user interaction. This vulnerability is considered to have a low attack complexity. The potential impact of an exploit of this vulnerability is considered to have no impact on confidentiality and integrity, and a high impact on availability.

Attack Vector:
LOCAL
Attack Complexity:
LOW
Privileges Required:
NONE
User Interaction:
NONE
Scope:
UNCHANGED
Confidentiality Impact:
NONE
Integrity Impact:
NONE
Availability Impact:
HIGH

Timeline

Reported to Red Hat.

Made public.

Weakness Type

What is a Resource Exhaustion Vulnerability?

The software does not properly control the allocation and maintenance of a limited resource, thereby enabling an actor to influence the amount of resources consumed, eventually leading to the exhaustion of available resources.

CVE-2024-8939 has been classified to as a Resource Exhaustion vulnerability or weakness.


Products Associated with CVE-2024-8939

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Exploit Probability

EPSS
0.04%
Percentile
11.72%

EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) scores estimate the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. The percentile shows you how this score compares to all other vulnerabilities.