CVE-2022-23487 is a vulnerability classified under CWE-400 (Uncontrolled Resource Consumption) affecting js-libp2p, the official JavaScript implementation of the libp2p networking stack. Versions of js-libp2p prior to 0.38.0 are susceptible to targeted resource exhaustion attacks. The vulnerability arises from the way js-libp2p manages connections, streams, peers, and memory. Although js-libp2p includes a connection manager designed to maintain a manageable number of connections during normal peer churn, it is not equipped to handle malicious attempts to exhaust resources. An attacker can exploit this by forcing the allocation of excessive memory, which can cause the host process to be terminated by the operating system due to resource exhaustion. This can lead to denial of service conditions for applications relying on js-libp2p. There are no known workarounds other than upgrading to version 0.38.0 or later, where the issue has been addressed. No exploits have been reported in the wild to date, but the vulnerability poses a risk especially in environments where js-libp2p is exposed to untrusted peers or networks. The attack does not require authentication or user interaction, making it easier to exploit in exposed scenarios. The vulnerability affects the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of services relying on js-libp2p by potentially causing service outages and instability due to process termination from memory exhaustion.

For European organizations, the impact of this vulnerability can be significant, particularly for those leveraging decentralized or peer-to-peer applications built on js-libp2p. Industries such as telecommunications, finance, and critical infrastructure that utilize peer-to-peer networking for distributed ledger technologies, decentralized applications (dApps), or real-time communication platforms could experience service disruptions. The denial of service caused by process termination can lead to downtime, loss of availability, and potential cascading failures in dependent systems. This could affect customer trust, regulatory compliance (especially under GDPR where service availability is a factor), and operational continuity. Given the increasing adoption of decentralized technologies in Europe, the vulnerability could be exploited to disrupt services or degrade performance, especially in environments with high peer churn or exposure to untrusted networks. The lack of known exploits in the wild reduces immediate risk but does not eliminate the threat, as attackers may develop exploits targeting vulnerable versions.

The primary and most effective mitigation is to upgrade all js-libp2p dependencies to version 0.38.0 or later, where the vulnerability has been fixed. Organizations should audit their software supply chains and development environments to identify any usage of vulnerable js-libp2p versions. For applications where immediate upgrading is not feasible, implementing network-level controls to restrict or monitor peer connections can help reduce exposure to malicious peers attempting resource exhaustion. Rate limiting connection attempts and stream creation at the application or network layer can also mitigate attack surface. Monitoring memory usage and process health metrics for applications using js-libp2p can provide early detection of abnormal resource consumption. Additionally, employing container or process-level resource limits (e.g., cgroups on Linux) can prevent a single process from exhausting host resources entirely. Security teams should also review peer authentication and authorization mechanisms to limit connections to trusted peers where possible, reducing the risk of exposure to malicious actors.