CVE-2002-0781 in BorderManager
Summary
by MITRE
RTSP proxy for Novell BorderManager 3.6 SP 1a allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service via a GET request to port 9090 followed by a series of carriage returns, which causes proxy.nlm to ABEND.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/08/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2002-0781 represents a critical denial of service flaw within the RTSP proxy functionality of Novell BorderManager 3.6 Service Pack 1a. This issue specifically targets the proxy.nlm module that handles real-time streaming protocol requests, creating a condition where remote attackers can disrupt service availability by exploiting a particular request pattern. The vulnerability manifests when an attacker sends a GET request to port 9090, followed by a sequence of carriage return characters, which triggers an abnormal termination of the proxy service.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the insufficient input validation and error handling mechanisms within the RTSP proxy implementation. When the proxy.nlm module processes the malformed GET request containing excessive carriage returns, it fails to properly sanitize or limit the input parameters, leading to an abrupt system failure or abend condition. This behavior aligns with CWE-129, which describes improper validation of input boundaries, and CWE-248, which addresses an exception not caught by the program. The vulnerability demonstrates a classic buffer over-read or input processing flaw where the system does not adequately handle malformed input sequences, causing it to crash or become unresponsive.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption, as it can be exploited by remote attackers without requiring authentication or specialized privileges. The attack vector is particularly concerning because it can be executed from any network location capable of reaching port 9090, making it accessible to a wide range of potential threat actors. Organizations relying on Novell BorderManager for content delivery or streaming services would experience complete service interruption when this vulnerability is exploited, potentially affecting multimedia applications, video conferencing systems, or any real-time streaming services that depend on the RTSP proxy functionality.
From an adversarial perspective, this vulnerability maps to several ATT&CK techniques including T1499.004 for Network Denial of Service and T1595.001 for Network Sniffing, as attackers could leverage this weakness to disrupt services while potentially gathering information about the target environment. The lack of authentication requirements makes this attack particularly dangerous as it can be executed silently without detection, allowing attackers to maintain persistent disruption of services. Organizations should consider this vulnerability as part of a broader threat landscape where attackers might use such service disruption techniques as part of larger campaigns targeting network availability and business continuity.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2002-0781 should include immediate application of Novell's security patches or service packs that address this specific input validation flaw. Network administrators should also implement firewall rules to restrict access to port 9090 from untrusted networks, though this approach provides only partial protection since the vulnerability can be exploited from any location with network access. Additionally, implementing intrusion detection systems capable of identifying the specific attack pattern involving GET requests with excessive carriage returns can help detect exploitation attempts. Organizations should also consider deploying network segmentation strategies to isolate BorderManager systems and limit the potential impact of successful exploitation. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should include verification of patched systems to ensure complete remediation of this vulnerability across all affected deployments.