nghttp2 is an implementation of the Hypertext Transfer Protocol version 2 in C. Prior to version 1.68.1, the nghttp2 library stops reading the incoming data when user facing public API `nghttp2_session_terminate_session` or `nghttp2_session_terminate_session2` is called by the application. They might be called internally by the library when it detects the situation that is subject to connection error. Due to the missing internal state validation, the library keeps reading the rest of the data after one of those APIs is called. Then receiving a malformed frame that causes FRAME_SIZE_ERROR causes assertion failure. nghttp2 v1.68.1 adds missing
The HTTP/2 protocol allows a denial of service (server resource consumption) because request cancellation can reset many streams quickly, as exploited in the wild in August through October 2023.
In nghttp2 before version 1.41.0, the overly large HTTP/2 SETTINGS frame payload causes denial of service. The proof of concept attack involves a malicious client constructing a SETTINGS frame with a length of 14,400 bytes (2400 individual settings entries) over and over again. The attack causes the CPU to spike at 100%. nghttp2 v1.41.0 fixes this vulnerability. There is a workaround to this vulnerability. Implement nghttp2_on_frame_recv_callback callback, and if received frame is SETTINGS frame and the number of settings entries are large (e.g., > 32), then drop the connection.
Some HTTP/2 implementations are vulnerable to resource loops, potentially leading to a denial of service. The attacker creates multiple request streams and continually shuffles the priority of the streams in a way that causes substantial churn to the priority tree. This can consume excess CPU.
Some HTTP/2 implementations are vulnerable to window size manipulation and stream prioritization manipulation, potentially leading to a denial of service. The attacker requests a large amount of data from a specified resource over multiple streams. They manipulate window size and stream priority to force the server to queue the data in 1-byte chunks. Depending on how efficiently this data is queued, this can consume excess CPU, memory, or both.