CVE-2022-21698
Publication date 15 February 2022
Last updated 11 July 2025
Ubuntu priority
Cvss 3 Severity Score
Description
client_golang is the instrumentation library for Go applications in Prometheus, and the promhttp package in client_golang provides tooling around HTTP servers and clients. In client_golang prior to version 1.11.1, HTTP server is susceptible to a Denial of Service through unbounded cardinality, and potential memory exhaustion, when handling requests with non-standard HTTP methods. In order to be affected, an instrumented software must use any of `promhttp.InstrumentHandler*` middleware except `RequestsInFlight`; not filter any specific methods (e.g GET) before middleware; pass metric with `method` label name to our middleware; and not have any firewall/LB/proxy that filters away requests with unknown `method`. client_golang version 1.11.1 contains a patch for this issue. Several workarounds are available, including removing the `method` label name from counter/gauge used in the InstrumentHandler; turning off affected promhttp handlers; adding custom middleware before promhttp handler that will sanitize the request method given by Go http.Request; and using a reverse proxy or web application firewall, configured to only allow a limited set of methods.
Status
| Package | Ubuntu Release | Status |
|---|---|---|
| golang-github-prometheus-client-golang | 25.10 questing |
Needs evaluation
|
| 25.04 plucky |
Needs evaluation
|
|
| 24.04 LTS noble |
Needs evaluation
|
|
| 22.04 LTS jammy |
Needs evaluation
|
|
| 20.04 LTS focal |
Needs evaluation
|
|
| 18.04 LTS bionic |
Needs evaluation
|
|
| 16.04 LTS xenial | Ignored end of standard support | |
| 14.04 LTS trusty | Ignored end of standard support |
Severity score breakdown
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Base score |
|
| Attack vector | Network |
| Attack complexity | Low |
| Privileges required | None |
| User interaction | None |
| Scope | Unchanged |
| Confidentiality | None |
| Integrity impact | None |
| Availability impact | High |
| Vector | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H |
References
Other references
- https://github.com/prometheus/client_golang/security/advisories/GHSA-cg3q-j54f-5p7p
- https://github.com/prometheus/client_golang/pull/962
- https://github.com/prometheus/client_golang/pull/987
- https://github.com/prometheus/client_golang/releases/tag/v1.11.1
- https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-21698