ntpd-rs Excessive CPU Usage Vulnerability via Malformed NTS Packets

A vulnerability in ntpd-rs prior to version 1.7.1 allows attackers to remotely cause moderate increases in CPU usage, 2 to 4 times above normal levels. This issue arises when Network Time Security (NTS) is enabled, as attackers can send malformed NTS packets that require more processing effort from the server by requesting a large number of cookies. The result is degraded server performance, even under normal load conditions.

Impact

Exploiting this vulnerability leads to excessive CPU usage, causing degraded server performance.

Remediation

Users are advised to upgrade to ntpd-rs version 1.7.1, which limits the number of cookies that can be requested. Instructions for downloading this version are available on the ntpd-rs GitHub releases page.