CVE-2002-1417 in NetWare
Summary
by MITRE
Directory traversal vulnerability in Novell NetBasic Scripting Server (NSN) for Netware 5.1 and 6, and Novell Small Business Suite 5.1 and 6, allows remote attackers to read arbitrary files via a URL containing a "..%5c" sequence (modified dot-dot), which is mapped to the directory separator.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/20/2019
The CVE-2002-1417 vulnerability represents a critical directory traversal flaw affecting Novell NetBasic Scripting Server implementations across Netware 5.1 and 6 platforms, as well as Novell Small Business Suite 5.1 and 6 environments. This security weakness stems from inadequate input validation mechanisms within the web server component that processes Uniform Resource Locator requests. The vulnerability specifically exploits how the system handles encoded directory traversal sequences, particularly the "..%5c" pattern where %5c represents the URL-encoded backslash character. When an attacker submits a malicious URL containing this sequence, the server fails to properly sanitize the input and instead interprets the encoded characters as directory navigation commands, allowing unauthorized access to files outside the intended web root directory.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability leverages the fundamental weakness in path resolution logic where the system does not adequately filter or normalize URL-encoded sequences before processing file system requests. This flaw falls under CWE-22, which specifically addresses improper limitation of a pathname to a restricted directory, commonly known as path traversal or directory traversal attacks. The vulnerability demonstrates a classic case of insufficient input sanitization where the application fails to validate that user-supplied data does not contain malicious path manipulation sequences. Attackers can exploit this by constructing URLs that appear legitimate but contain encoded traversal sequences that bypass normal access controls, potentially gaining access to sensitive system files, configuration data, or other restricted resources that should remain protected from external access.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates significant security risks for organizations relying on Novell Netware environments, as it allows remote attackers to access arbitrary files without authentication. The potential consequences include exposure of sensitive configuration files, user data, system credentials, or application source code that could be used for further exploitation. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it enables remote code execution capabilities when combined with other exploits, as attackers can read system files that might contain passwords, database connection strings, or other sensitive information. Network security professionals should note that this vulnerability affects legacy systems and represents a common pattern of insecure input handling that continues to appear in modern applications, making it a valuable case study for understanding how path traversal vulnerabilities can persist across different platforms and generations of software.
The mitigation strategies for CVE-2002-1417 primarily involve implementing proper input validation and sanitization mechanisms that normalize all URL-encoded sequences before processing file system requests. Organizations should deploy web application firewalls that can detect and block suspicious path traversal patterns, particularly those containing encoded directory traversal sequences. System administrators must ensure that all web server components properly validate user input and implement strict access controls that prevent directory traversal attacks. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of regular security updates and patch management, as Novell would have released fixes for this specific issue in their security bulletins. Additionally, implementing principle of least privilege access controls and restricting web server permissions to only necessary directories can significantly reduce the impact of such vulnerabilities. This case study aligns with ATT&CK technique T1083, which covers discovering file and directory permissions, and demonstrates how inadequate input validation can lead to privilege escalation through unauthorized file access.