CVE-2002-0957 in BlackICE Agent
Summary
by MITRE
The default configuration of BlackICE Agent 3.1.eal and 3.1.ebh has a high tcp.maxconnections setting, which could allow remote attackers to cause a denial of service (memory consumption) via a large number of connections to the BlackICE system that consumes more resources than intended by the user.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/20/2019
The vulnerability described in CVE-2002-0957 represents a classic resource exhaustion flaw affecting the BlackICE Agent software version 3.1.eal and 3.1.ebh. This issue stems from the default configuration parameters that establish an excessively high tcp.maxconnections value, creating a significant security weakness in network monitoring and intrusion detection systems. The BlackICE Agent serves as a network security tool designed to monitor and protect against unauthorized access attempts, making this vulnerability particularly concerning for organizations relying on it for network defense. The flaw demonstrates poor security-by-design principles where default settings fail to account for potential abuse scenarios that could lead to system compromise through resource depletion rather than direct exploitation of software vulnerabilities.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the operating system's TCP connection handling mechanism where the tcp.maxconnections parameter controls the maximum number of simultaneous TCP connections that can be established. When this value is set too high in the BlackICE Agent configuration, it allows remote attackers to establish a massive number of concurrent connections to the system, effectively consuming available memory and system resources. This configuration issue operates at the network stack level and affects the system's ability to properly manage connection states, leading to a denial of service condition where legitimate network operations become impossible due to resource exhaustion. The vulnerability specifically targets the system's memory management capabilities rather than exploiting code execution flaws, making it a sophisticated form of resource exhaustion attack that can be executed with relatively simple network connection attempts.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption to potentially compromise the entire network monitoring infrastructure. Organizations using BlackICE Agent with default configurations become vulnerable to attacks that can render their security monitoring systems ineffective, leaving networks exposed to actual malicious activities while the defensive tools fail to function properly. This creates a dangerous situation where defenders are unable to monitor or respond to legitimate security threats due to their own defensive tools being overwhelmed by resource exhaustion attacks. The vulnerability affects systems that rely on BlackICE for network traffic analysis and intrusion detection, potentially allowing attackers to bypass security monitoring entirely while consuming system resources that should be dedicated to legitimate security functions.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on proper configuration management and security hardening of the BlackICE Agent deployment. System administrators must immediately modify the tcp.maxconnections parameter to appropriate values based on the actual network requirements and system capacity, rather than relying on default settings that may be overly permissive. The recommended approach involves implementing proper network access controls and connection limiting mechanisms that prevent excessive connection attempts from overwhelming the system. Organizations should also implement monitoring solutions to detect unusual connection patterns that could indicate attempted exploitation of this vulnerability. This issue aligns with CWE-400, which describes the weakness of excessive resource consumption, and relates to ATT&CK technique T1499.004 for resource exhaustion attacks. Additionally, the vulnerability demonstrates the importance of following security best practices for system configuration management and the principle of least privilege in network security implementations. Regular security audits and configuration reviews should be conducted to ensure that default settings are not left in place on critical security infrastructure components.