# Unbounded resource allocation or request amplification

An operation consumes an unconstrained protected resource through input size, fan-out, queued work, output size or retries.

**Candidate CWE:** [CWE-770](https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/770.html)

## Test hypothesis

In a faithful isolated deployment, lower a supported real limit to a tiny value and compare an accepted fixture, an at-limit case and a minimally over-limit case. Stub billed providers and count downstream jobs or operations. If no guard exists, trace the missing bound in source and a small instrumented fixture; do not attempt a live outage.

## Evidence required

Preserve the intended limit, actual configuration, actor/tenant budget key, exact input, accepted and rejected controls, committed work and cleanup. Select CWE-770 only when the cause is resource allocation without appropriate limits or throttling; distinguish an excessive-allocation request from a resource leak or unrelated slow dependency.

## Rule out false positives

A missing rate-limit header, a slow response or a few accepted requests below an unknown threshold does not prove unlimited consumption. Local amplification is not a measured production outage or bill.

## Playbook and command references

- [Resource budgets and sensitive business flows](https://bug-bounty-field-manual.kmahshooq.chatgpt.site/modules/resource-budget-controls.html) — Trace request fan-out, retries, recipient limits and tenant quotas using tiny local limits, recording stubs and measured downstream effects.
- [REST, GraphQL, gRPC, WebSocket, and SSE permission parity](https://bug-bounty-field-manual.kmahshooq.chatgpt.site/modules/api-protocols.html) — Carry the same permission invariant across protocols, nested fields, streams, and alternate API versions.

[Find the associated command snippets](https://bug-bounty-field-manual.kmahshooq.chatgpt.site/commands.html?q=Resource%20budgets%20and%20sensitive%20business%20flows)

## Referenced by these target playbooks

[Web & API](https://bug-bounty-field-manual.kmahshooq.chatgpt.site/web-api.html) · [OSS & self-hosted](https://bug-bounty-field-manual.kmahshooq.chatgpt.site/oss.html) · [Cloud & containers](https://bug-bounty-field-manual.kmahshooq.chatgpt.site/cloud.html) · [AI, agents & MCP](https://bug-bounty-field-manual.kmahshooq.chatgpt.site/ai.html)

## Report checklist

- [ ] Capture the affected version, configuration, identities, and object ownership.
- [ ] Preserve a valid baseline and a negative control.
- [ ] Reproduce the forbidden data access, action, or state change on controlled fixtures.
- [ ] Explain the intended security rule and why the observed behavior violates it.
- [ ] State prerequisites, uncertainty, cleanup, and the smallest demonstrated impact.

## Conditional ATT&CK mapping

No direct ATT&CK mapping selected. Record the weakness and demonstrated impact without forcing an adversary-behavior classification. See the [mapping guide](https://bug-bounty-field-manual.kmahshooq.chatgpt.site/attack.html).

## Primary references

- [OWASP API4:2023 resource consumption](https://api-security.owasp.org/editions/2023/en/0xa4-unrestricted-resource-consumption/)
- [CWE-770 resource allocation limits](https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/770.html)

[Back to the complete vulnerability catalog](https://bug-bounty-field-manual.kmahshooq.chatgpt.site/vulnerabilities.html)