CVE-2001-0647 in Web Server
Summary
by MITRE
Orange Web Server 2.1, based on GoAhead, allows a remote attacker to perform a denial of service via an HTTP GET request that does not include the HTTP version.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/02/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2001-0647 affects Orange Web Server 2.1 which is built upon the GoAhead web server framework. This security flaw represents a classic denial of service vulnerability that exploits the server's handling of HTTP protocol requests. The vulnerability specifically targets the server's inability to properly process HTTP GET requests that lack the HTTP version specification, creating a condition where the server becomes unresponsive to legitimate traffic.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the server's protocol parsing implementation within the GoAhead framework. When the Orange Web Server receives an HTTP GET request without the required HTTP version identifier, the server's request processing logic fails to handle this malformed input gracefully. This parsing failure typically results in the server either crashing or entering a state where it cannot process subsequent requests, effectively rendering the service unavailable to legitimate users. The vulnerability demonstrates a fundamental lack of input validation and error handling within the HTTP request processing pipeline.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability presents a significant risk to web server availability and service continuity. Attackers can exploit this flaw by sending carefully crafted HTTP GET requests that omit the HTTP version specification, causing the server to become unresponsive and denying service to all legitimate users. The attack requires minimal resources and can be executed remotely, making it particularly dangerous for web applications that rely on continuous availability. This vulnerability essentially allows an attacker to perform a simple but effective denial of service attack that can disrupt business operations and potentially impact customer satisfaction.
The vulnerability maps to CWE-119 in the Common Weakness Enumeration catalog, which describes weaknesses related to improper handling of input data that can lead to buffer overflows or other memory corruption issues. Additionally, this weakness aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.004 which covers network denial of service attacks. Organizations affected by this vulnerability should implement immediate mitigations including updating to patched versions of the GoAhead web server framework or applying relevant security patches from the vendor. Network-level protections such as intrusion detection systems and rate limiting mechanisms can provide additional defense-in-depth measures. The most effective long-term solution involves upgrading to a more recent version of the web server software that properly handles malformed HTTP requests and includes robust input validation and error handling mechanisms to prevent similar vulnerabilities from occurring in the future.