CVE-2000-0299 in WebObjects
Summary
by MITRE
Buffer overflow in WebObjects.exe in the WebObjects Developer 4.5 package allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service via an HTTP request with long headers such as Accept.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/01/2025
The vulnerability described in CVE-2000-0299 represents a classic buffer overflow condition within the WebObjects Developer 4.5 framework's WebObjects.exe component. This flaw exists in the HTTP request processing logic where the application fails to properly validate the length of incoming header fields, specifically targeting the Accept header field that is commonly used in web browser requests. The buffer overflow occurs when an attacker crafts an HTTP request containing excessively long header values that exceed the allocated buffer space in the WebObjects.exe process memory allocation.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation mechanisms within the web server component. When the WebObjects.exe process receives an HTTP request with an oversized Accept header, it attempts to copy this data into a fixed-size buffer without performing bounds checking. This fundamental programming error allows the overflow to overwrite adjacent memory locations, potentially corrupting critical program data structures or execution pointers. The vulnerability specifically targets the web server's request parsing functionality, which is part of the broader WebObjects application server framework developed by Apple.
From an operational impact perspective, this buffer overflow vulnerability enables remote attackers to execute a denial of service attack against web applications running on the affected WebObjects platform. The attack does not necessarily require code execution or privilege escalation, as the primary objective is to destabilize the web server process through memory corruption. When successful, the overflow causes the WebObjects.exe process to terminate unexpectedly, resulting in service unavailability for legitimate users. This type of denial of service attack can be particularly disruptive in production environments where web applications depend on the stability of the underlying web server infrastructure.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, which categorizes buffer overflow conditions occurring in stack-based buffers, and represents a variant of the broader class of memory safety issues that plague legacy web server implementations. From an adversarial perspective, this flaw maps to ATT&CK technique T1499.004, which involves network denial of service attacks through resource exhaustion or process termination. The attack vector requires only a network connection to the vulnerable web server and does not necessitate authentication or specialized tools beyond basic HTTP request construction. Organizations using WebObjects Developer 4.5 should implement immediate mitigations including input length validation, application firewalls, and network segmentation to prevent exploitation of this vulnerability. Additionally, upgrading to supported versions of the WebObjects framework or migrating to modern web application platforms represents the most effective long-term solution to eliminate this and similar legacy vulnerabilities from the attack surface.