CVE-2001-0107 in Veritas Backup
Summary
by MITRE
Veritas Backup agent on Linux allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service by establishing a connection without sending any data, which causes the process to hang.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/07/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2001-0107 affects the Veritas Backup Agent running on Linux systems, representing a classic denial of service flaw that exploits connection handling mechanisms within the backup software infrastructure. This vulnerability resides in the network protocol implementation where the backup agent fails to properly manage connection states when clients establish connections without transmitting any data. The flaw specifically targets the agent's ability to process incoming connections and maintain system responsiveness during network communication sessions.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and connection state management within the Veritas Backup Agent daemon. When a remote attacker establishes a TCP connection to the backup agent service port, the agent enters a waiting state expecting data transmission but never receives any payload. This condition causes the agent process to hang indefinitely, consuming system resources and preventing legitimate clients from establishing new backup sessions. The root cause aligns with CWE-400, which categorizes unchecked resource consumption as a significant security weakness in software systems. The vulnerability demonstrates poor error handling and resource management practices that allow an attacker to exploit the agent's connection processing logic through simple network manipulation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption, potentially affecting critical backup operations and business continuity processes that rely on Veritas Backup Agent functionality. Organizations utilizing this backup solution may experience cascading failures where the hung backup agent prevents new backup jobs from initiating, leading to data protection gaps and potential compliance violations. The attack vector requires minimal sophistication, making it particularly dangerous as it can be executed by any remote attacker with network access to the affected system. This vulnerability directly maps to ATT&CK technique T1499.004, which covers network denial of service attacks targeting system resources and availability. The hanging process consumes memory and CPU resources that could otherwise be utilized for legitimate backup operations, creating a resource exhaustion scenario that affects system performance and availability.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2001-0107 should focus on implementing connection timeout mechanisms and robust input validation within the Veritas Backup Agent configuration. Network administrators should configure firewall rules to limit connection attempts and implement automatic connection timeout values that prevent indefinite hanging states. The Veritas software vendor should provide patched versions that properly handle connection states and implement proper resource cleanup mechanisms when connections are established without data transmission. System monitoring should be enhanced to detect and automatically restart hung backup agent processes, while network segmentation can limit the attack surface by restricting access to backup agent ports. Organizations should also implement connection rate limiting and authentication mechanisms to reduce the likelihood of successful exploitation. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper resource management and error handling in enterprise backup systems, emphasizing that even seemingly benign network conditions can be exploited to cause significant operational disruptions.