CVE-2022-41969 is a vulnerability classified under CWE-400, indicating uncontrolled resource consumption, found in Nextcloud Server, an open-source personal cloud server widely used for file sharing and collaboration. The issue exists in versions prior to 23.0.11 and between 24.0.0 and 24.0.7, where there is no enforced limit on password length when an administrator creates a new user account. This lack of restriction allows an administrator to specify an excessively long password, which can trigger excessive consumption of server resources during the account creation process. The consequence is a limited Denial of Service (DoS) attack against the server itself, potentially degrading performance or causing temporary unavailability. The vulnerability does not require external attacker interaction since it is exploitable by an administrator with user creation privileges, and no authentication bypass is involved. The issue was addressed in versions 23.0.11, 24.0.7, and 25.0.0 by implementing password length limits to prevent resource exhaustion. As a temporary workaround, administrators are advised not to create user accounts with long passwords until the patch is applied. There are no known exploits in the wild, and the vulnerability primarily impacts availability by enabling resource exhaustion through legitimate administrative functions. This vulnerability is particularly relevant to organizations that deploy Nextcloud Server internally or provide hosted Nextcloud services, as it could be leveraged by malicious insiders or compromised administrator accounts to disrupt service availability.

For European organizations using Nextcloud Server, this vulnerability poses a risk to service availability, especially in environments where administrative privileges are distributed among multiple users or where insider threats are a concern. The uncontrolled resource consumption could lead to degraded server performance or temporary outages, impacting business continuity, collaboration, and data access. Organizations relying heavily on Nextcloud for critical workflows may experience operational disruptions. Although the vulnerability requires administrative access, the risk is heightened in large organizations with multiple administrators or in managed service provider environments where administrative accounts might be shared or compromised. The impact on confidentiality and integrity is minimal, as the vulnerability does not allow unauthorized data access or modification. However, availability degradation could indirectly affect compliance with data protection regulations such as GDPR if service interruptions impact data accessibility or processing timelines.

1. Immediate patching: Upgrade Nextcloud Server installations to versions 23.0.11, 24.0.7, or later to apply the official fix that enforces password length limits. 2. Administrative controls: Restrict the number of users with administrative privileges and enforce strict access controls to minimize the risk of malicious or accidental exploitation. 3. Password policy enforcement: Implement external password policies or validation mechanisms to prevent creation of excessively long passwords, especially if patching is delayed. 4. Monitoring and alerting: Deploy monitoring tools to detect unusual resource consumption patterns on Nextcloud servers, particularly during user creation events, to identify potential exploitation attempts early. 5. Incident response readiness: Prepare response plans for potential DoS incidents affecting Nextcloud availability, including backup and failover strategies. 6. Audit administrative actions: Regularly review logs of user creation and administrative activities to detect anomalies or abuse. 7. Network segmentation: Isolate Nextcloud servers within secure network zones to limit the impact of any service disruption on broader organizational infrastructure.