dbcve.org
AnswerApplication · Apache

CVE-2024-22393

CRITICAL · 9.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-02-22
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 1.2.5 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
Unrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type vulnerability in Apache Answer.This issue affects Apache Answer: through 1.2.1. Pixel Flood Attack by uploading large pixel files will cause server out of memory. A logged-in user can cause such an attack by uploading an image when posting content. Users are recommended to upgrade to version [1.2.5], which fixes the issue.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

An unrestricted file upload vulnerability in Apache Answer versions up to 1.2.1 allows authenticated users to upload images with extremely large pixel dimensions (e.g., 100,000x100,000 pixels). When the server attempts to process these 'pixel flood' images, it causes excessive memory consumption leading to out-of-memory conditions, resulting in denial of service.

MitigationUpgrade Apache Answer to version 1.2.5 or later. As a temporary measure, implement image dimension validation and memory limits on image processing before upgrade.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
AnswerApplication
Affected:< 1.2.5

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify Apache Answer version
    Access the admin dashboard or check the installed package/version file to determine the running version of Apache Answer. Compare this version number against the affected range (< 1.2.5).
    Affected if The installed version is any release prior to 1.2.5.
  2. Verify user authentication is enabled
    Check whether the Apache Answer instance allows user registration or has user login functionality enabled, as the vulnerability requires an authenticated user to upload malicious images.
    Affected if User registration or login is enabled, allowing attackers to obtain valid authentication credentials.
  3. Confirm image upload feature is accessible
    Determine if the image/upload functionality is available to authenticated users. This may involve checking plugin settings, storage configuration, or testing the upload capability with a test account.
    Affected if Image upload is permitted for authenticated users without strict dimension validation.
  4. Inspect image processing configuration
    Review any existing image processing settings, dimension limits, or memory constraints configured for uploaded images. Look for configuration files or admin settings that control maximum image width, height, or memory usage.
    Affected if No image dimension validation or memory limits are configured for uploaded images.

You are affected if running Apache Answer version below 1.2.5 with user authentication and image upload features enabled, and without existing image dimension or memory limits configured.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 1.2.5 or later
Fixed in 1.2.5
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Apache Answer to version 1.2.5 or later. As a temporary measure, implement image dimension validation and memory limits on image processing before upgrade.

Recommended fix High confidence

1.2.5

  1. 1. Back up your current Apache Answer installation and database before upgrading.
  2. 2. Download Apache Answer version 1.2.5 from the official Apache Answer repository or releases page.
  3. 3. Stop the Apache Answer service.
  4. 4. Replace the existing installation files with the new version 1.2.5 files.
  5. 5. Run any database migration scripts if included in the release notes.
  6. 6. Restart the Apache Answer service.
  7. 7. Verify the upgrade was successful by logging in and testing image upload functionality.
Caveat Review the 1.2.5 release notes for any configuration or feature changes before upgrading

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Answer Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,240
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,984.

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2024-22393 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data