CVE-2024-53907 is a denial-of-service (DoS) vulnerability found in the Django web framework versions 4.2 before 4.2.17, 5.0 before 5.0.10, and 5.1 before 5.1.4. The vulnerability resides in the strip_tags() method and the striptags template filter, which are used to sanitize HTML content by removing tags. The issue arises when these functions process inputs containing large sequences of nested incomplete HTML entities. Such inputs cause excessive CPU and memory consumption due to inefficient parsing and resource allocation, leading to potential service outages. This vulnerability is classified under CWE-770, which involves allocation of resources without proper limits or throttling, allowing attackers to exhaust server resources. Exploitation requires no authentication or user interaction and can be performed remotely by sending crafted HTTP requests containing malicious payloads. Although no public exploits have been reported yet, the vulnerability's characteristics make it a viable vector for denial-of-service attacks against web applications relying on the affected Django versions. The CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 reflects the high impact on availability, with no impact on confidentiality or integrity. The flaw affects a widely used open-source framework, increasing the potential attack surface across many organizations globally.

The primary impact of CVE-2024-53907 is denial of service, which can disrupt the availability of web applications built on affected Django versions. Organizations relying on these versions may experience service outages or degraded performance when targeted by attackers sending malicious inputs to the strip_tags() method or striptags filter. This can lead to downtime, loss of user trust, and potential financial losses, especially for businesses dependent on web services for revenue or critical operations. Since the vulnerability requires no authentication and can be triggered remotely, attackers can exploit it at scale, potentially affecting cloud-hosted services and large-scale deployments. The lack of impact on confidentiality and integrity limits the risk to data breaches or unauthorized modifications, but the availability disruption alone can have severe operational consequences. Additionally, automated exploitation attempts could increase noise and resource consumption on affected servers, complicating incident response and mitigation efforts.

To mitigate CVE-2024-53907, organizations should upgrade Django to versions 5.1.4, 5.0.10, or 4.2.17 or later, where the vulnerability has been addressed. If immediate patching is not feasible, consider implementing input validation or filtering at the application or web server level to detect and block unusually large or malformed HTML entity sequences before they reach the Django application. Rate limiting and web application firewalls (WAFs) can help reduce the impact by limiting the number of requests containing suspicious payloads. Monitoring application logs for repeated errors or high resource usage related to HTML parsing functions can provide early warning signs of exploitation attempts. Additionally, review and optimize resource allocation and timeout settings in the hosting environment to minimize the risk of resource exhaustion. Security teams should also keep abreast of any emerging exploit code or attack campaigns targeting this vulnerability to adjust defenses accordingly.