CVE-2024-4029 identifies a resource allocation vulnerability in the Wildfly application server's management interface. Specifically, the management interface does not impose any limits or throttling on the number of socket connections it accepts. This absence of connection limits can lead to exhaustion of the system's file descriptor limit (nofile limit), which is a critical resource controlling how many files or sockets a process can open simultaneously. When an attacker with high privileges and local access opens a large number of connections to the management interface, the system can reach this limit, causing denial of service by preventing legitimate processes from opening new sockets or files. The vulnerability is rated with a CVSS 3.1 score of 4.1 (medium severity), reflecting that exploitation requires local access and high privileges, with high attack complexity and no impact on confidentiality or integrity. No user interaction is required, and the scope remains unchanged. Although no public exploits are currently known, the vulnerability poses a risk to availability, especially in environments where the management interface is exposed or accessible by multiple users. Wildfly is widely used in enterprise Java application deployments, often in critical business applications, making this vulnerability relevant for organizations relying on this platform. The lack of configuration options to limit connections exacerbates the risk, as administrators cannot easily mitigate the issue without external controls or patches.

For European organizations, the primary impact of CVE-2024-4029 is the potential for denial of service on Wildfly servers, which could disrupt critical business applications and services relying on these servers. This can lead to operational downtime, loss of productivity, and potential financial losses. Organizations in sectors such as finance, telecommunications, government, and manufacturing that deploy Wildfly for backend services or management interfaces are particularly vulnerable. The requirement for local and high-privilege access limits the risk from remote attackers but does not eliminate insider threats or risks from compromised internal systems. The inability to limit socket connections could also complicate incident response and recovery efforts. Given the widespread use of Wildfly in Europe, especially in countries with strong enterprise IT sectors, the vulnerability could affect numerous organizations if not addressed promptly.

1. Restrict access to the Wildfly management interface strictly to trusted administrators and internal networks using firewalls, VPNs, or network segmentation. 2. Monitor socket and file descriptor usage on servers running Wildfly to detect abnormal connection patterns early. 3. Implement operating system-level limits and controls (e.g., using cgroups or systemd resource limits) to prevent a single process from exhausting system resources. 4. Regularly audit user privileges to ensure only necessary users have high-level access to the management interface. 5. Stay alert for official patches or updates from Wildfly or Red Hat and apply them promptly once available. 6. Consider deploying Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) or intrusion detection systems (IDS) that can detect and block excessive connection attempts to the management interface. 7. If possible, disable or limit the management interface during non-administrative periods to reduce exposure. 8. Document and rehearse incident response procedures for DoS scenarios affecting management interfaces.