CVE-2022-3371 is a high-severity vulnerability classified under CWE-770, which pertains to the allocation of resources without limits or throttling. This vulnerability affects the GitHub project ikus060/rdiffweb, a web-based interface for the rdiff backup tool, in versions prior to 2.5.0a3. The core issue is that the application does not impose adequate restrictions on resource allocation, allowing an unauthenticated remote attacker to potentially exhaust system resources such as memory, CPU, or disk space by sending crafted requests. The CVSS 3.0 score of 7.5 reflects a network attack vector with low attack complexity, no privileges required, and no user interaction needed. The impact is availability-focused, with no direct confidentiality or integrity compromise indicated. Exploitation could lead to denial of service (DoS), rendering the rdiffweb service or the underlying system unresponsive or degraded. No known exploits in the wild have been reported to date, and no official patches or mitigation links are provided in the source information. The vulnerability's presence in a backup management tool is particularly concerning because disruption of backup services can impede data recovery processes and operational continuity.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2022-3371 could be significant, especially for those relying on rdiffweb for backup management and data protection. A successful exploitation could cause denial of service conditions, interrupting backup operations and potentially delaying critical data restoration efforts. This disruption could affect compliance with data retention and disaster recovery regulations prevalent in Europe, such as GDPR mandates on data availability and integrity. Organizations in sectors with stringent uptime requirements—such as finance, healthcare, and critical infrastructure—may face operational risks and reputational damage if backup services become unavailable. Additionally, resource exhaustion attacks could cascade to affect other services hosted on the same infrastructure, amplifying the impact. Although no confidentiality or integrity loss is directly associated, the availability impact alone can have severe business consequences.

To mitigate CVE-2022-3371, European organizations should first verify if they are using affected versions of ikus060/rdiffweb and upgrade to version 2.5.0a3 or later where the vulnerability is addressed. In the absence of an official patch, organizations should implement network-level protections such as rate limiting and traffic shaping to restrict the volume and frequency of requests to the rdiffweb service. Deploying web application firewalls (WAFs) with custom rules to detect and block anomalous request patterns can help prevent resource exhaustion attempts. Monitoring resource utilization metrics (CPU, memory, disk I/O) on servers running rdiffweb is critical to detect early signs of abuse. Additionally, isolating the backup management system on dedicated infrastructure or within segmented network zones can limit the blast radius of potential DoS attacks. Regular security assessments and penetration testing focused on resource exhaustion scenarios will enhance preparedness. Finally, maintaining robust incident response plans that include backup service recovery procedures will reduce downtime impact.