Lack of Rate Limiting

Description

A rate limiting vulnerability refers to a flaw in a system's design or implementation where the rate limit controls, which are intended to prevent excessive requests or actions from a single user or source, can be bypassed or manipulated. This vulnerability can potentially lead to various security issues such as brute force attacks, denial of service (DoS), or data scraping. Essentially, attackers exploit this weakness to circumvent the limitations imposed by rate limiting mechanisms, enabling them to carry out malicious activities at a higher frequency or volume than intended by the system's administrators. It is crucial for developers and security professionals to identify and address rate limiting vulnerabilities to safeguard systems against abuse and unauthorized access.

Remediation

Implement robust rate limiting or throttling controls at the application or API gateway level to restrict the number of requests over a specified timeframe. Configure relevant error responses (e.g., HTTP 429 Too Many Requests) for clients that exceed the established threshold. Regularly review logs and analytics to detect unusual spikes in traffic that may indicate automated attacks or abuse. Employ a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or intrusion detection system to monitor and block malicious patterns targeting rate-limit weaknesses. Periodically test and update rate limiting rules to ensure they remain effective while balancing availability needs.

References

Severity

Owasp

Code: A05:2021

Category: Security Misconfiguration

Classification