[tor-bugs] #4580 [Tor]: Some Tor clients go nuts requesting the consensus if there is no recent enough consensus

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#4580: Some Tor clients go nuts requesting the consensus if there is no recent
enough consensus
------------------------+---------------------------------------------------
 Reporter:  arma        |          Owner:                    
     Type:  defect      |         Status:  new               
 Priority:  major       |      Milestone:  Tor: 0.2.4.x-final
Component:  Tor         |        Version:  Tor: unspecified  
 Keywords:  tor-client  |         Parent:                    
   Points:              |   Actualpoints:                    
------------------------+---------------------------------------------------

Comment(by nickm):

 No _crazy_ fun.  Here's a few hours worth of requests from an old 0.2.1
 client:
 {{{
 Apr 12 08:32:56.790 [info] update_consensus_networkstatus_downloads():
 Launching networkstatus consensus download.
 Apr 12 08:43:06.405 [info] update_consensus_networkstatus_downloads():
 Launching networkstatus consensus download.
 Apr 12 09:13:36.248 [info] update_consensus_networkstatus_downloads():
 Launching networkstatus consensus download.
 Apr 12 09:27:50.189 [info] update_consensus_networkstatus_downloads():
 Launching networkstatus consensus download.
 Apr 12 09:28:51.251 [info] update_consensus_networkstatus_downloads():
 Launching networkstatus consensus download.
 Apr 12 09:33:56.558 [info] update_consensus_networkstatus_downloads():
 Launching networkstatus consensus download.
 Apr 12 10:04:26.398 [info] update_consensus_networkstatus_downloads():
 Launching networkstatus consensus download.
 Apr 12 10:28:50.874 [info] update_consensus_networkstatus_downloads():
 Launching networkstatus consensus download.
 Apr 12 10:29:51.937 [info] update_consensus_networkstatus_downloads():
 Launching networkstatus consensus download.
 Apr 12 10:34:56.244 [info] update_consensus_networkstatus_downloads():
 Launching networkstatus consensus download.
 Apr 12 10:45:06.861 [info] update_consensus_networkstatus_downloads():
 Launching networkstatus consensus download.
 Apr 12 11:28:49.524 [info] update_consensus_networkstatus_downloads():
 Launching networkstatus consensus download.
 Apr 12 11:28:49.524 [info] update_consensus_networkstatus_downloads():
 Launching networkstatus consensus download.
 Apr 12 11:29:50.587 [info] update_consensus_networkstatus_downloads():
 Launching networkstatus consensus download.
 }}}

 And here's what a newer 0.2.4 client did:
 {{{
 Apr 12 08:28:36.000 [info] void
 update_consensus_networkstatus_downloads(): Launching microdesc
 networkstatus consensus download.
 Apr 12 08:29:37.000 [info] void
 update_consensus_networkstatus_downloads(): Launching microdesc
 networkstatus consensus download.
 Apr 12 08:39:47.000 [info] void
 update_consensus_networkstatus_downloads(): Launching microdesc
 networkstatus consensus download.
 Apr 12 09:28:35.000 [info] void
 update_consensus_networkstatus_downloads(): Launching microdesc
 networkstatus consensus download.
 Apr 12 09:29:36.000 [info] void
 update_consensus_networkstatus_downloads(): Launching microdesc
 networkstatus consensus download.
 Apr 12 09:39:46.000 [info] void
 update_consensus_networkstatus_downloads(): Launching microdesc
 networkstatus consensus download.
 Apr 12 10:28:34.000 [info] void
 update_consensus_networkstatus_downloads(): Launching microdesc
 networkstatus consensus download.
 Apr 12 10:29:35.000 [info] void
 update_consensus_networkstatus_downloads(): Launching microdesc
 networkstatus consensus download.
 Apr 12 10:39:45.000 [info] void
 update_consensus_networkstatus_downloads(): Launching microdesc
 networkstatus consensus download.
 Apr 12 11:28:33.000 [info] void
 update_consensus_networkstatus_downloads(): Launching microdesc
 networkstatus consensus download.
 }}}

 Now, could this be enough to explain the badness on its own?  Is 3-5
 requests per client per hour enough to DoS an authority? I'm not sure.

-- 
Ticket URL: <https://trac.torproject.org/projects/tor/ticket/4580#comment:13>
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