CAPEC-227 Metadata
Likelihood of Attack
High
Typical Severity
Medium
Overview
Summary
An adversary attempts to deny legitimate users access to a resource by continually engaging a specific resource in an attempt to keep the resource tied up as long as possible. The adversary's primary goal is not to crash or flood the target, which would alert defenders; rather it is to repeatedly perform actions or abuse algorithmic flaws such that a given resource is tied up and not available to a legitimate user. By carefully crafting a requests that keep the resource engaged through what is seemingly benign requests, legitimate users are limited or completely denied access to the resource.
Prerequisites
This pattern of attack requires a temporal aspect to the servicing of a given request. Success can be achieved if the adversary can make requests that collectively take more time to complete than legitimate user requests within the same time frame.
Potential Solutions / Mitigations
Potential mitigations include requiring a unique login for each resource request, constraining local unprivileged access by disallowing simultaneous engagements of the resource, or limiting access to the resource to one access per IP address. In such scenarios, the adversary would have to increase engagements either by launching multiple sessions manually or programmatically to counter such defenses.
Related Weaknesses (CWE)
| CWE ID | Description |
|---|---|
| CWE-400 | Uncontrolled Resource Consumption |
Taxonomy Mappings
Taxonomy: ATTACK
| Entry ID | Entry Name |
|---|---|
| 1499 | Endpoint Denial of Service |
Taxonomy: WASC
| Entry ID | Entry Name |
|---|---|
| 10 | Denial of Service |
Stay Ahead of Attack Patterns
Understanding CAPEC patterns helps security professionals anticipate and thwart potential attacks. Leverage these insights to enhance threat modeling, strengthen your software development lifecycle, and train your security teams effectively.