Apache mod_perl: Denial of service

Background

Mod_perl is an Apache module that embeds the Perl interpreter within the server, allowing Perl-based web-applications to be created.

Description

Alex Solvey discovered that the “path_info” variable used in file RegistryCooker.pm (mod_perl 2.x) or file PerlRun.pm (mod_perl 1.x), is not properly escaped before being processed.

Impact

A remote attacker could send a specially crafted URL to the vulnerable server, possibly resulting in a massive resource consumption.

Workaround

There is no known workaround at this time.

Resolution

All mod_perl 1.x users should upgrade to the latest version:

 # emerge --sync
 # emerge --ask --oneshot --verbose ">=www-apache/mod_perl-1.30"

All mod_perl 2.x users should upgrade to the latest version:

 # emerge --sync
 # emerge --ask --oneshot --verbose ">=www-apache/mod_perl-2.0.3-r1"