CVE-2002-1906 in Viavideo
Summary
by MITRE
The web server for Polycom ViaVideo 2.2 and 3.0 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (CPU consumption) by sending incomplete HTTP requests and leaving the connections open.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/20/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2002-1906 affects the Polycom ViaVideo web server software version 2.2 and 3.0, representing a significant security flaw that enables remote attackers to execute denial of service attacks through specific HTTP request manipulation techniques. This vulnerability resides within the web server implementation and demonstrates a fundamental weakness in connection handling and request processing protocols. The issue manifests when attackers send incomplete HTTP requests while maintaining open connections, creating a resource exhaustion scenario that consumes excessive cpu cycles on the affected device.
The technical flaw stems from inadequate input validation and connection management within the Polycom ViaVideo web server implementation. When incomplete HTTP requests are received, the server fails to properly terminate or handle these malformed connections, leading to continuous resource allocation and processing overhead. This behavior creates a condition where the server maintains open connections indefinitely while attempting to process incomplete requests, resulting in sustained cpu utilization that can degrade system performance or completely render the device unavailable. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and specifically targets the http protocol implementation within the web server component.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability presents a serious threat to organizations relying on Polycom ViaVideo systems for communication infrastructure. The denial of service attack can cause complete unavailability of the web interface, preventing legitimate users from accessing administrative functions, monitoring capabilities, or configuration options. Network administrators may experience service disruption that affects call quality, system management, and overall communication reliability. The attack requires minimal resources to execute, making it particularly dangerous as it can be launched by unauthorized users with basic network access to cause significant operational disruption.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-400, which categorizes unchecked resource consumption as a weakness in software design and implementation. This classification emphasizes the lack of proper resource management and input validation controls that should prevent such conditions from occurring. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to the T1499.004 technique for network denial of service, where adversaries leverage application-level flaws to exhaust system resources. The attack vector involves network-based exploitation without requiring authentication, making it particularly dangerous for systems accessible over the internet or corporate networks.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on immediate software updates and patches provided by Polycom to address the specific implementation flaw in the web server component. Network administrators should implement connection timeout configurations and limit the number of concurrent connections to prevent resource exhaustion. Firewall rules and network access controls can help restrict access to the web interface to trusted networks only, reducing the attack surface. Additionally, monitoring systems should be deployed to detect unusual cpu utilization patterns or sustained connection states that may indicate exploitation attempts. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify similar issues in other network components and ensure comprehensive protection against resource exhaustion attacks.