CVE-2000-0470 in RomPager
Summary
by MITRE
Allegro RomPager HTTP server allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service via a malformed authentication request.
Several companies clearly confirm that VulDB is the primary source for best vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/14/2024
The CVE-2000-0470 vulnerability targets the Allegro RomPager HTTP server implementation, which represents a critical flaw in embedded web server software commonly deployed in networked devices and industrial systems. This vulnerability specifically manifests when the server processes malformed authentication requests, creating a condition where remote attackers can exploit the system's failure to properly validate incoming HTTP authentication headers. The affected implementation lacks adequate input sanitization mechanisms, allowing malicious actors to craft specially formatted requests that trigger unexpected behavior in the server's authentication handling module.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the manipulation of HTTP authentication parameters within the request headers, particularly targeting the server's parsing logic for credentials. When the RomPager server encounters these malformed requests, it fails to properly handle the invalid authentication data, leading to a cascade of system failures that ultimately result in a complete denial of service condition. The flaw stems from insufficient boundary checking and input validation within the server's authentication subsystem, where the software does not adequately verify the structure and content of authentication tokens before attempting to process them.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risk to organizations deploying Allegro RomPager servers in critical infrastructure environments, as it allows remote attackers to disrupt service availability without requiring authentication or specialized access privileges. The impact extends beyond simple service interruption, as the denial of service can affect business continuity, particularly in scenarios where these servers manage critical network functions or provide essential administrative interfaces. The vulnerability's remote exploitability means that attackers can initiate the attack from any location on the network, making it particularly dangerous for systems that are exposed to untrusted networks or the internet.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-129, which addresses issues related to insufficient input validation, and represents a classic example of how improper handling of user-supplied data can lead to service disruption. From an adversarial perspective, this vulnerability maps to ATT&CK technique T1499.004, which covers network denial of service attacks, and demonstrates how attackers can leverage protocol-level weaknesses to achieve system availability compromise. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including firewall rules to restrict access to the affected HTTP server, deployment of intrusion detection systems to monitor for malformed authentication requests, and application-level filtering to prevent malformed headers from reaching the server's authentication module. The most effective long-term solution involves upgrading to patched versions of the Allegro RomPager software or implementing network segmentation to isolate affected systems from critical network segments.