CVE-2024-50311 is a denial of service (DoS) vulnerability identified in Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform version 4.18. The flaw resides in the GraphQL batching functionality, which allows multiple queries to be sent within a single request. An attacker can exploit this by crafting a request containing thousands of aliases in one query, which leads to excessive resource consumption on the server side. This resource exhaustion can cause the OpenShift application to become unavailable to legitimate users, effectively resulting in a denial of service. The vulnerability does not impact confidentiality or integrity but severely affects availability. The attack vector is network-based (AV:N), requires low privileges (PR:L), and does not require user interaction (UI:N). The scope is unchanged (S:U), meaning the impact is limited to the vulnerable component. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 6.5, reflecting a medium severity level. No patches or known exploits have been reported at the time of publication, but the vulnerability poses a risk to environments where OpenShift 4.18 is deployed, especially those exposing GraphQL endpoints to untrusted networks or users. The lack of throttling or limits on resource allocation in GraphQL batching is the root cause, allowing attackers to overwhelm system resources by submitting oversized queries.

For European organizations, this vulnerability could lead to significant service disruptions in environments running Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.18, particularly those relying on GraphQL APIs. The denial of service condition can interrupt business-critical applications and cloud-native workloads, impacting operational continuity and potentially causing financial and reputational damage. Organizations in sectors such as finance, telecommunications, government, and critical infrastructure that utilize OpenShift for container orchestration and application deployment are especially vulnerable. Since the attack does not require user interaction and can be launched remotely with low privileges, the risk of automated or opportunistic attacks is elevated. The unavailability of services may also affect compliance with service-level agreements (SLAs) and regulatory requirements around uptime and availability. Additionally, the increased load on infrastructure could lead to cascading failures or increased operational costs due to emergency mitigation efforts.

To mitigate CVE-2024-50311, organizations should first apply any available patches or updates from Red Hat as soon as they are released. In the absence of patches, implement strict rate limiting and throttling on GraphQL endpoints to restrict the number of queries and aliases processed per request. Deploy Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) or API gateways capable of detecting and blocking anomalous GraphQL requests with excessive aliases or batch sizes. Monitor GraphQL request patterns and resource utilization metrics closely to identify potential abuse early. Consider isolating or restricting access to GraphQL APIs to trusted networks or authenticated users only, reducing exposure to untrusted actors. Additionally, review and harden resource allocation policies within OpenShift to prevent a single request from consuming disproportionate resources. Conduct regular security assessments and penetration testing focused on API abuse scenarios to validate the effectiveness of controls. Finally, maintain incident response plans that include procedures for mitigating DoS attacks targeting container platforms.