CVE-2000-0866 in InterBase SuperServer
Summary
by MITRE
Interbase 6 SuperServer for Linux allows an attacker to cause a denial of service via a query containing 0 bytes.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/06/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2000-0866 affects Interbase 6 SuperServer for Linux, a database management system that was widely used in enterprise environments during the late 1990s and early 2000s. This particular weakness represents a classic buffer handling flaw that demonstrates the critical importance of proper input validation in database server applications. The vulnerability specifically manifests when the database server processes queries containing null bytes, which are typically used as string terminators in many programming languages and systems. The presence of these zero bytes in query data triggers unexpected behavior within the Interbase server's query parsing mechanism.
The technical flaw stems from inadequate validation of input data within the database server's query processing pipeline. When an attacker submits a malicious query containing null bytes, the Interbase SuperServer fails to properly handle these characters during query interpretation, leading to memory corruption or unexpected program termination. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-129, which describes improper validation of array indices or buffer boundaries, and more specifically aligns with CWE-770, which addresses allocation of resources without limits or with inadequate limits. The vulnerability represents a form of resource exhaustion attack that exploits the server's failure to properly manage memory allocation when processing malformed input data.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption to potentially compromise the entire database infrastructure. A successful exploitation of CVE-2000-0866 can result in complete denial of service, preventing legitimate users from accessing critical business data and applications that depend on the database. This vulnerability is particularly dangerous in production environments where database availability is critical for business operations, as it can be exploited by attackers with minimal technical expertise to disrupt services. The attack vector is relatively simple - an attacker only needs to submit a specially crafted query containing null bytes, making this vulnerability highly exploitable in environments where database access is not properly restricted. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1499.004, which covers network denial of service attacks, and T1566.001, representing spearphishing with social engineering techniques that could be used to gain initial access to systems running vulnerable Interbase installations.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2000-0866 require both immediate and long-term approaches to address the underlying vulnerability. Organizations should implement input sanitization measures at the application level to filter out null bytes from incoming queries before they reach the database server. Network-level firewalls and database access controls should be configured to restrict query submission from untrusted sources and implement rate limiting to prevent abuse. The most effective long-term solution involves upgrading to newer versions of Interbase or migrating to more modern database management systems that have addressed this vulnerability through proper input validation and memory management practices. Additionally, implementing comprehensive monitoring and logging of database activities can help detect suspicious query patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts, providing early warning capabilities for potential attacks targeting this vulnerability. Security teams should also consider implementing database-specific protections such as query rewriting rules and input validation layers that can prevent malformed data from reaching the vulnerable server components.