CVE-2002-0929 in NetWare
Summary
by MITRE
Buffer overflows in the DHCP server for NetWare 6.0 SP1 allow remote attackers to cause a denial of service (reboot) via long DHCP requests.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/27/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2002-0929 represents a critical buffer overflow flaw within the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol server implementation of Novell NetWare 6.0 Service Pack 1. This vulnerability specifically targets the network infrastructure component responsible for automatically assigning IP addresses and related network configuration parameters to client devices. The flaw exists in the server-side processing of DHCP requests where insufficient input validation allows maliciously crafted network packets to exceed the allocated buffer space. The buffer overflow condition occurs when remote attackers submit DHCP requests containing excessively long parameter values or malformed data structures that surpass the predefined memory boundaries allocated for processing these network configuration messages.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability leverages the fundamental weakness in memory management practices within the NetWare DHCP server implementation. When the server receives a malformed DHCP request containing oversized data fields, the processing routine fails to properly bounds-check the incoming data before copying it into fixed-size memory buffers. This classic buffer overflow scenario enables attackers to overwrite adjacent memory locations, potentially corrupting critical system structures and causing the DHCP server process to terminate unexpectedly. The vulnerability specifically affects the NetWare 6.0 SP1 release, indicating that this was a known issue that persisted through the service pack lifecycle, suggesting inadequate security testing or patching procedures during the software development cycle.
The operational impact of CVE-2002-0929 extends beyond simple denial of service conditions to potentially disrupt entire network operations within organizations relying on NetWare infrastructure. When exploited successfully, the vulnerability forces the DHCP server to crash and restart, effectively removing network clients from the configuration service and causing widespread connectivity issues. This disruption can cascade through enterprise environments where NetWare servers manage critical network services, potentially affecting hundreds or thousands of devices that depend on automatic IP address assignment. The reboot condition created by the buffer overflow means that network availability is compromised for the duration of the service restart process, which can range from several minutes to hours depending on the server configuration and recovery mechanisms. Organizations with mission-critical network infrastructure may experience significant downtime and productivity loss during such attacks.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on immediate patching of the NetWare 6.0 SP1 installation with the appropriate security updates provided by Novell. Organizations should also implement network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure of the vulnerable DHCP server to untrusted networks. Network monitoring solutions should be configured to detect unusual DHCP traffic patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts, while intrusion detection systems can be tuned to identify malformed DHCP requests that exceed normal parameter lengths. Additionally, implementing redundant DHCP services and backup network configuration mechanisms can help maintain network availability during potential exploitation events. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, which describes the classic stack-based buffer overflow condition, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1499.004 for network denial of service attacks. Organizations should also consider migrating away from legacy NetWare infrastructure to modern operating systems that provide better security guarantees and more frequent security updates, particularly given the age of this vulnerability and the end-of-life status of NetWare 6.0 platforms.