CVE-2002-0707 in Superscout Web Filter
Summary
by MITRE
The Web Reports Server for SurfControl SuperScout WebFilter allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (CPU consumption) via large GET requests, possibly due to a buffer overflow.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/25/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2002-0707 affects the Web Reports Server component of SurfControl SuperScout WebFilter, a web filtering solution designed to monitor and control internet usage within network environments. This specific flaw represents a significant security concern as it enables remote attackers to execute denial of service attacks against the affected system through carefully crafted GET requests that consume excessive CPU resources. The vulnerability stems from improper handling of input parameters within the web server's request processing logic, creating an exploitable condition that can be leveraged by malicious actors without requiring authentication or privileged access.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves a buffer overflow condition that occurs when the Web Reports Server receives GET requests containing excessively large parameter values or malformed data structures. When processing these oversized requests, the server's input validation mechanisms fail to properly limit the size of incoming data, causing the system to allocate insufficient buffer space for processing. This leads to memory corruption issues that result in continuous CPU utilization as the system attempts to process malformed requests, ultimately exhausting system resources and rendering the service unavailable to legitimate users. The vulnerability falls under the CWE-122 category of buffer overflow in heap-based buffers, which aligns with the observed behavior of CPU consumption through malformed input processing.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a substantial risk to organizations relying on SurfControl SuperScout WebFilter for network security management. The denial of service condition can effectively disrupt legitimate web browsing activities and administrative functions, as the Web Reports Server becomes unresponsive to valid requests. Attackers can exploit this weakness by sending simple HTTP GET requests with oversized parameters, requiring minimal technical expertise to execute successful attacks. The impact extends beyond simple service disruption as it can compromise the overall security posture of the network by preventing administrators from accessing critical monitoring and reporting capabilities. This vulnerability directly maps to attack techniques described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the T1498 category of Network Denial of Service, where adversaries leverage application-level flaws to exhaust system resources.
Organizations affected by CVE-2002-0707 should implement immediate mitigations including network-level restrictions to limit access to the Web Reports Server, particularly from untrusted networks. Configuration changes should focus on implementing input validation controls and request size limitations to prevent oversized GET requests from reaching the vulnerable processing logic. The most effective long-term solution involves applying the vendor-provided security patches or upgrading to newer versions of the SurfControl SuperScout WebFilter software that address the buffer overflow condition. Network administrators should also implement monitoring solutions to detect unusual CPU utilization patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts, while maintaining detailed logging of web server access patterns to identify potential attack vectors. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of input validation and proper resource management in web application security, particularly in systems designed to handle potentially malicious traffic from external sources.