CVE-2002-0336 in Worldgroup Lite Personal Server
Summary
by MITRE
Buffer overflow in Galacticomm Worldgroup FTP server 3.20 and earlier allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service, and possibly execute arbitrary code, via a LIST command containing a large number of / (slash), * (wildcard), and .. characters.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/11/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2002-0336 represents a critical buffer overflow flaw within the Galacticomm Worldgroup FTP server version 3.20 and earlier implementations. This vulnerability specifically manifests when processing the LIST command, which is a fundamental command used by ftp clients to retrieve directory listings from servers. The flaw occurs when an attacker crafts a malicious LIST command containing an excessive number of forward slashes, wildcard characters, and dot-dot sequences that exceed the buffer capacity allocated for processing such commands.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, which describes heap-based buffer overflow conditions where insufficient boundary checking allows attackers to overwrite adjacent memory locations. The buffer overflow in this case occurs during the parsing of directory path specifications within the LIST command processing routine. When the server encounters a command with an excessive number of path components, the internal buffers fail to properly validate the input length, leading to memory corruption that can result in either application crash or more severe exploitation outcomes.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a significant threat to system availability and potentially system compromise. Remote attackers can leverage this flaw to execute denial of service attacks by causing the ftp server process to crash and restart repeatedly, thereby disrupting legitimate user access to file sharing services. The vulnerability's potential for arbitrary code execution places organizations at risk of complete system compromise, as attackers may be able to inject malicious code into the server process memory space and gain unauthorized control over the affected system.
The attack vector for this vulnerability is particularly concerning as it requires no authentication, making it a passive threat that can be exploited by anyone with network access to the vulnerable ftp server. The exploitation technique involves crafting a specially formatted LIST command that triggers the buffer overflow condition, which can be easily automated and executed at scale. This makes the vulnerability particularly attractive to malicious actors seeking to compromise ftp services without requiring privileged access or specialized knowledge of the target system.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including upgrading to patched versions of the Galacticomm Worldgroup FTP server software, which would address the buffer overflow condition through proper input validation and boundary checking mechanisms. Network segmentation and firewall rules should be implemented to restrict access to ftp services where possible, while monitoring systems should be deployed to detect anomalous LIST command patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. Additionally, regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify other potential buffer overflow vulnerabilities within the organization's ftp server infrastructure, as similar flaws may exist in other ftp implementations that have not yet been discovered or patched. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper input validation and memory management practices in network services, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1190 which covers exploitation of vulnerabilities in network services to gain unauthorized access to systems.