CVE-2000-0608 in DMailWeb
Summary
by MITRE
NetWin dMailWeb and cwMail 2.6i and earlier allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service via a long POP parameter (pophost).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/05/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2000-0608 affects NetWin dMailWeb and cwMail versions 2.6i and earlier, representing a classic buffer overflow condition that can be exploited to trigger a denial of service attack. This flaw specifically manifests when the application processes a malformed POP parameter known as pophost, which is typically used for configuring email server connections. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and bounds checking within the email client's network communication handling routines.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves a stack-based buffer overflow occurring when the application receives a specially crafted pophost parameter exceeding the allocated buffer size. When an attacker sends a sufficiently long string as the pophost value, the application fails to properly validate the input length before copying it into a fixed-size buffer, leading to memory corruption that ultimately results in application termination or system instability. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-121 category of stack-based buffer overflow, which represents one of the most common and well-documented software security flaws in network applications.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption, as it can be leveraged by remote attackers to systematically disable email services without requiring authentication or elevated privileges. The denial of service effect manifests as the application crashing or becoming unresponsive, rendering email communication capabilities unavailable to legitimate users. This vulnerability particularly affects organizations relying on these email applications for business operations, potentially causing significant productivity loss and communication disruption. The attack vector requires only network access to the vulnerable application, making it particularly dangerous in environments where email services are publicly accessible.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should include immediate patching of affected systems, as vendors would have released updates addressing the buffer overflow condition. Network segmentation and access controls can provide additional defense in depth by limiting exposure of vulnerable applications to untrusted networks. Input validation should be implemented at multiple layers including application-level bounds checking and network-level filtering of suspicious parameter values. Organizations should also consider implementing intrusion detection systems capable of identifying malformed pophost parameter patterns. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.004 for network denial of service, and represents a critical weakness that could be exploited as part of broader attack campaigns targeting email infrastructure. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify similar buffer overflow conditions in legacy email applications and ensure proper memory management practices are implemented across all network services.