CVE-2001-0790 in IDS
Summary
by MITRE
Specter IDS version 4.5 and 5.0 allows a remote attacker to cause a denial of service (CPU exhaustion) via a port scan, which causes the server to consume CPU while preparing alerts.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/04/2018
The vulnerability described in CVE-2001-0790 represents a significant security flaw in Specter IDS versions 4.5 and 5.0 that enables remote attackers to execute a denial of service attack through strategic port scanning activities. This issue manifests as a critical system performance degradation where the intrusion detection system becomes overwhelmed with CPU resources while processing and preparing alerts for the malicious port scan attempts. The flaw directly impacts the availability of the network monitoring service by consuming excessive computational resources, effectively rendering the system unable to properly function as an intrusion detection mechanism.
This vulnerability operates through a specific technical mechanism where the IDS software fails to properly handle or rate-limit incoming port scan traffic, leading to a resource exhaustion condition. When a remote attacker initiates a port scan against a system protected by Specter IDS, the software's alert generation and processing mechanisms become overwhelmed with the volume of scan events, causing the CPU utilization to spike dramatically. The system enters a state where it continuously processes and prepares alerts for each scanned port, consuming resources that should be allocated to legitimate network monitoring functions. This behavior represents a classic resource exhaustion attack pattern that can be categorized under CWE-400, which specifically addresses "Uncontrolled Resource Consumption" in software systems.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption to potentially compromise the entire security monitoring infrastructure. Network administrators relying on Specter IDS for threat detection and response would find their security posture severely weakened as the system becomes unresponsive to actual security incidents. The attack requires minimal resources from the attacker since standard port scanning tools can trigger this condition, making it particularly dangerous as it can be executed with basic network scanning utilities. This vulnerability directly contradicts the fundamental security principle that intrusion detection systems should remain operational and responsive even under attack conditions, creating a paradox where the security tool becomes the vector for its own compromise.
From a threat modeling perspective, this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.004, which covers "Endpoint Denial of Service" through resource exhaustion attacks. The flaw demonstrates how defensive security tools can themselves become attack vectors when not properly designed to handle malicious input patterns. Organizations implementing Specter IDS in production environments would experience cascading failures where legitimate network traffic monitoring becomes impossible while the system struggles to process the artificial load generated by the port scan. The vulnerability also exposes a critical design flaw in the software's alert handling architecture, where the system lacks proper input validation and rate-limiting mechanisms to prevent malicious traffic from overwhelming the alert processing pipeline.
Effective mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate software updates to patched versions of Specter IDS, as well as network-level controls to limit the volume of port scanning traffic that can reach the IDS system. Network administrators should implement rate-limiting measures at the perimeter to prevent excessive port scan traffic from reaching the IDS, while also configuring the system to drop or limit alert generation for high-volume scanning activities. The fix should include proper input validation that can distinguish between legitimate monitoring traffic and malicious scanning patterns, ensuring that the IDS system can maintain its operational integrity under attack conditions. Additionally, system administrators should consider implementing separate monitoring and alerting systems to maintain visibility into network activities even when the primary IDS is under attack, providing redundant security controls that can operate independently of the vulnerable software component.