CVE-2024-21634

Ion Java StackOverflow vulnerability

Impacted versions: <1.10.5

Workarounds

Do not load data which originated from an untrusted source or that could have been tampered with. Only load data you trust.

If you have any questions or comments about this advisory, we ask that you contact AWS/Amazon Security via our vulnerability reporting page [1] or directly via email to [email protected]. Please do not create a public GitHub issue.

[1] https://aws.amazon.com/security/vulnerability-reporting

A potential denial-of-service issue exists in ion-java for applications that use ion-java to:

• Deserialize Ion text encoded data, or
• Deserialize Ion text or binary encoded data into the IonValue model and then invoke certain IonValue methods on that in-memory representation.

An actor could craft Ion data that, when loaded by the affected application and/or processed using the IonValue model, results in a StackOverflowError originating from the ion-java library.

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-2024-21634 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 (1.10.5); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

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The patch is included in ion-java >= 1.10.5.

1. What is CVE-2024-21634? CVE-2024-21634 is a high-severity allocation of resources without limits or throttling vulnerability in com.amazon.ion:ion-java (maven), affecting versions < 1.10.5. It is fixed in 1.10.5. The application allocates resources such as memory, threads, or file descriptors based on untrusted input without enforcing a cap.
2. How severe is CVE-2024-21634? CVE-2024-21634 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 packages are affected by CVE-2024-21634?
   • com.amazon.ion:ion-java (maven) (versions < 1.10.5)
   • software.amazon.ion:ion-java (maven) (versions < 1.10.5)
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2024-21634? Yes. CVE-2024-21634 is fixed in 1.10.5. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2024-21634 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2024-21634 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-2024-21634 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-2024-21634? Upgrade com.amazon.ion:ion-java to 1.10.5 or later.