CVE-2022-21698

Publication date 15 February 2022

Last updated 11 July 2025

Ubuntu priority

Medium

Why this priority?

Cvss 3 Severity Score

7.5 · High

Score breakdown

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 26.04 LTS resolute
Needs evaluation
25.10 questing
Needs evaluation
25.04 plucky Ignored end of life, was needs-triage
24.10 oracular Ignored end of life, was needs-triage
24.04 LTS noble
Needs evaluation
23.10 mantic Ignored end of life, was needs-triage
23.04 lunar Ignored end of life, was needs-triage
22.10 kinetic Ignored end of life, was needs-triage
22.04 LTS jammy
Needs evaluation
21.10 impish Ignored end of life
20.04 LTS focal Ignored end of standard support, was needs-triage
18.04 LTS bionic Ignored end of standard support, was needs-triage
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 7.5 · High
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

Access our resources on patching vulnerabilities