CVE-2001-0472 in High Availability Cluster Multiprocessing
Summary
by MITRE
Hursley Software Laboratories Consumer Transaction Framework (HSLCTF) HTTP object allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) via an extremely long HTTP request.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/08/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2001-0472 affects the Hursley Software Laboratories Consumer Transaction Framework (HSLCTF) HTTP object implementation, representing a classic denial of service flaw that has persisted in networked applications since the early days of internet infrastructure. This vulnerability resides within the HTTP request processing mechanism of the framework, specifically targeting how the system handles incoming HTTP requests of excessive length. The flaw demonstrates a fundamental weakness in input validation and buffer management that was prevalent in software architectures of that era, where robustness against malformed or excessively large inputs was not adequately considered during the design phase. The HSLCTF framework was designed to facilitate consumer transaction processing, making it a critical component in financial and e-commerce applications where availability of services directly impacts business operations.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the framework's failure to properly validate or limit the length of HTTP requests before processing them. When an attacker sends an extremely long HTTP request, the system's HTTP object does not implement adequate bounds checking or length restrictions, causing the application to either crash or become unresponsive during the parsing process. This behavior aligns with common software vulnerabilities categorized under CWE-122, which deals with buffer overflows and insufficient input length validation. The flaw manifests as a resource exhaustion condition where the system attempts to allocate memory or process data that exceeds expected parameters, leading to application instability and service disruption. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it requires minimal effort from an attacker to exploit, as the attack vector involves simply sending a malformed HTTP request without requiring authentication or specialized knowledge of the underlying system architecture.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption to potentially compromise the availability of critical transaction processing systems. In environments where HSLCTF is deployed for financial transactions or e-commerce operations, an attacker could exploit this vulnerability to cause system crashes that result in lost transactions, customer dissatisfaction, and potential financial losses. The denial of service condition affects the availability aspect of the CIA triad, as legitimate users would be unable to access services while the system is compromised. This vulnerability is particularly concerning when considering the ATT&CK framework's adversary tactics, as it represents a straightforward denial of service attack that falls under the T1499 category of network denial of service. The impact is amplified when considering that such attacks can be automated and executed at scale, potentially causing cascading failures in interconnected systems that depend on the availability of transaction processing services.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability must address the fundamental design flaw in input validation and buffer management within the HSLCTF framework. Organizations should implement strict HTTP request length limits that prevent excessively long requests from being processed, effectively creating a boundary check that prevents the buffer overflow condition. The solution involves configuring the framework to reject HTTP requests that exceed predetermined maximum lengths, typically measured in bytes or characters, ensuring that all incoming requests are validated against established thresholds before processing. Additionally, implementing proper error handling mechanisms that gracefully manage malformed requests without causing system crashes would significantly reduce the exploitability of this vulnerability. Security patches or updates to the framework should include enhanced input validation routines that enforce length restrictions and provide appropriate error responses to attackers attempting to exploit the vulnerability. The remediation approach should also consider implementing rate limiting and connection management features that prevent attackers from overwhelming the system with multiple malformed requests simultaneously, thereby reducing the effectiveness of automated denial of service attacks.