CVE-2002-1780 in BPM Studio Pro
Summary
by MITRE
BPM Studio Pro 4.2 by ALCATech GmbH includes a webserver that allows a remote attacker to cause a denial of service (crash) by sending a URL request for a MS-DOS device such as con. NOTE: it has been disputed that this and possibly other application-level DOS device issues stem from a bug in Windows, and as such, such applications should not be considered vulnerable themselves.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/13/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2002-1780 affects BPM Studio Pro 4.2, a web server application developed by ALCATech GmbH. This particular flaw manifests when the web server processes HTTP requests containing URLs that reference MS-DOS device names such as con, prn, aux, nul, and lpt1 through lpt9. The vulnerability represents a classic application-level denial of service condition where a remote attacker can exploit the software's handling of these special device names to crash the web server process. The issue occurs at the application level where the web server fails to properly sanitize or validate input containing these reserved device names, leading to unexpected behavior and system instability.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability stems from improper input validation within the web server component of BPM Studio Pro 4.2. When the server receives a request containing a URL that references an MS-DOS device name, the application attempts to process these special filenames without adequate sanitization. This processing failure can cause the web server to crash or become unresponsive, effectively denying service to legitimate users. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-20, which describes improper input validation, and represents a specific instance where application code fails to handle reserved system identifiers properly. The flaw demonstrates a lack of proper security controls in the input processing pipeline, where the application does not adequately filter or reject potentially harmful input patterns.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates significant risk for organizations relying on BPM Studio Pro 4.2 for web hosting or application delivery. A remote attacker can exploit this weakness to perform denial of service attacks without requiring authentication or specialized access privileges. The attack vector is particularly concerning because it can be executed over the network without any user interaction, making it a passive threat that can be automated. The vulnerability affects the availability aspect of the system's security triad, as it directly impacts the system's ability to provide services to legitimate users. The potential for this vulnerability to be exploited in coordinated attacks or as part of larger compromise campaigns increases its operational risk.
The disputed nature of this vulnerability, as noted in the original description, highlights the complexity of determining true vulnerability attribution in certain security scenarios. Some security researchers have argued that similar issues with MS-DOS device names stem from Windows operating system behavior rather than the application itself, suggesting that the vulnerability may be classified as a platform-level issue rather than an application-level flaw. This classification would align with ATT&CK technique T1499.004, which covers network denial of service attacks, but would shift the responsibility for remediation from the application vendor to the operating system vendor. Organizations should consider this disputed status when evaluating their security posture and remediation strategies.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on both immediate defensive measures and long-term architectural improvements. Organizations should implement input validation controls at the web server level to filter out or reject requests containing MS-DOS device names before they reach the application processing layer. Network-level filtering using firewalls or intrusion prevention systems can help block suspicious requests containing these device names. The application should be configured to handle these special cases gracefully rather than allowing crashes to occur, potentially through proper error handling and input sanitization. Additionally, organizations should consider upgrading to newer versions of the software where such issues have been addressed, or implementing application-level security controls that prevent the exploitation of these legacy device name handling issues. Regular security assessments should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other applications that may process user input without proper validation.
The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper input sanitization in web applications and highlights the need for security testing that includes edge cases involving system-reserved identifiers. It also underscores the challenges that security professionals face when determining vulnerability attribution, particularly when issues may stem from platform-level behaviors rather than specific application implementations. Organizations should maintain awareness of these disputed vulnerabilities and consider their potential impact on overall security posture, regardless of official vulnerability classification. The incident serves as a reminder that even legacy applications require proper security maintenance and that seemingly simple input validation issues can have significant operational consequences.