CVE-2023-28104

DDOS attack on graphql endpoints

An attacker could use a specially crafted graphql query to execute a Distributed Denial of Service attack (DDOS attack) against a website. This mostly affects websites with publicly exposed and particularly large/complex graphql schemas.

If your Silverstripe CMS project does not expose a public facing graphql schema, a user account is required to trigger the DDOS attack. If your site is hosted behind a content delivery network (CDN), such as Imperva or CloudFlare, this will likely further mitigate the risk.

Upgrade to silverstripe/graphql 4.2.3 or 4.1.2 or above to remedy the vulnerability.

The application allocates resources such as memory, threads, or file descriptors based on untrusted input without enforcing a cap. Typical impact: resource exhaustion leading to denial of service.

CVE-2023-28104 has a CVSS score of 7.5 (High). The vector is network-reachable, no privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (4.1.2, 4.2.3); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

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1. What is CVE-2023-28104? CVE-2023-28104 is a high-severity allocation of resources without limits or throttling vulnerability in silverstripe/graphql (composer), affecting versions >= 4.1.1, < 4.1.2. It is fixed in 4.1.2, 4.2.3. The application allocates resources such as memory, threads, or file descriptors based on untrusted input without enforcing a cap.
2. How severe is CVE-2023-28104? CVE-2023-28104 has a CVSS score of 7.5 (High). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
3. Which versions of silverstripe/graphql are affected by CVE-2023-28104? silverstripe/graphql (composer) versions >= 4.1.1, < 4.1.2 is affected.
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2023-28104? Yes. CVE-2023-28104 is fixed in 4.1.2, 4.2.3. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2023-28104 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2023-28104 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
6. What actually determines whether CVE-2023-28104 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
7. How do I fix CVE-2023-28104?
   • Upgrade silverstripe/graphql to 4.1.2 or later
   • Upgrade silverstripe/graphql to 4.2.3 or later

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