CVE-2024-30019 is a vulnerability identified in the DHCP Server service of Microsoft Windows Server 2019, specifically version 10.0.17763.0. The issue is categorized under CWE-400, which relates to uncontrolled resource consumption, commonly known as a denial of service (DoS) vulnerability. This vulnerability allows an attacker to exploit the DHCP Server service to cause excessive resource consumption, leading to service degradation or complete denial of service. The attack vector is network-based (AV:N), requiring low attack complexity (AC:L) and privileges (PR:L), but no user interaction (UI:N). The scope is unchanged (S:U), meaning the impact is limited to the vulnerable component without affecting other system components. The vulnerability does not impact confidentiality or integrity but severely impacts availability (A:H). The exploitability is rated as unproven in the wild (E:U), and remediation level is official (RL:O) with confirmed report confidence (RC:C). The lack of known exploits suggests this is a recently discovered issue. The vulnerability could be triggered remotely by an attacker with limited privileges on the network, potentially causing the DHCP Server to consume excessive CPU, memory, or other resources, resulting in denial of service to legitimate clients relying on DHCP for IP address allocation and network configuration. This can disrupt network operations, especially in environments heavily dependent on DHCP for dynamic IP management. Since Windows Server 2019 is widely used in enterprise environments, this vulnerability poses a significant risk to network infrastructure stability.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2024-30019 could be substantial, especially for those relying on Windows Server 2019 for DHCP services in critical network infrastructure. Disruption of DHCP services can lead to widespread network outages, affecting availability of internal and external services, employee productivity, and potentially critical business operations. Sectors such as finance, healthcare, government, and telecommunications, which often rely on robust network services, could experience operational disruptions. The denial of service could also indirectly affect security monitoring and incident response capabilities if network connectivity is impaired. Given the medium CVSS score (6.5) and the requirement for low privileges but no user interaction, the vulnerability could be exploited by internal threat actors or compromised devices within the network. The absence of known exploits in the wild provides a window for proactive mitigation, but organizations should prioritize patching and monitoring to prevent potential exploitation. The impact is primarily on availability, with no direct confidentiality or integrity compromise, but availability issues in network infrastructure can cascade into broader operational risks.

Apply the latest security updates and patches from Microsoft as soon as they become available for Windows Server 2019, specifically addressing DHCP Server vulnerabilities. Implement network segmentation to isolate DHCP servers from untrusted or less secure network segments, reducing exposure to potential attackers. Restrict access to DHCP Server management interfaces and services to authorized personnel and systems only, using firewalls and access control lists. Monitor DHCP server performance and resource utilization closely to detect abnormal spikes that could indicate exploitation attempts. Deploy network intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDS/IPS) with signatures or heuristics tuned to detect anomalous DHCP traffic patterns. Enforce strict privilege management to limit the number of users and processes with the ability to interact with DHCP services, minimizing the risk of insider threats. Conduct regular security audits and vulnerability assessments focusing on network infrastructure components, including DHCP servers. Prepare incident response plans that include procedures for DHCP service disruption to ensure rapid recovery and continuity of network services.