fastd is a VPN daemon which tunnels IP packets and Ethernet frames over UDP. When receiving a data packet from an unknown IP address/port combination, fastd will assume that one of its connected peers has moved to a new address and initiate a reconnect by sending a handshake packet. This "fast reconnect" avoids having to wait for a session timeout (up to ~90s) until a new connection is established. Even a 1-byte UDP packet just containing the fastd packet type header can trigger a much larger handshake packet (~150 bytes of UDP payload). Including IPv4 and UDP headers, the resulting amplification factor is roughly 12-13. By sending data packets with a spoofed source address to fastd instances reachable on the internet, this amplification of UDP traffic might be used to facilitate a Distributed Denial of Service attack. This vulnerability is fixed in v23.
| Product | Vendor Advisory | Solution File | Added | Published |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Debian | — | Upgrade fastd | May 15, 2025 | Jan 27, 2025 |
With curated Threat Intelligence, you can see which vulnerabilities truly put you at risk, prioritize what matters most, and act before attackers do.
Explore Intelligence Hub