CVE-2002-1918 in Data Access Components
Summary
by MITRE
Buffer overflow in Microsoft Active Data Objects (ADO) in Microsoft MDAC 2.5 through 2.7 allows remote attackers to have unknown impact with unknown attack vectors. NOTE: due to the lack of details available regarding this issue, perhaps it should be REJECTED.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/19/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2002-1918 represents a critical buffer overflow condition within Microsoft Active Data Objects component of the Microsoft Data Access Components suite. This flaw exists specifically within MDAC versions 2.5 through 2.7, indicating a widespread exposure across multiple iterations of the data access framework that was widely deployed in enterprise environments throughout the early 2000s. The buffer overflow vulnerability in ADO components creates a fundamental security weakness that can be exploited by remote attackers to potentially execute arbitrary code or cause system instability.
The technical nature of this buffer overflow stems from inadequate input validation within the Active Data Objects implementation, where insufficient bounds checking allows malicious data to overwrite adjacent memory locations. This type of vulnerability maps directly to CWE-121, which describes buffer overflow conditions where insufficient space is allocated for data, and CWE-125, which addresses out-of-bounds read conditions that can occur when input validation fails. The flaw operates at the data access layer, potentially affecting applications that rely on MDAC for database connectivity and data manipulation operations, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where database connectivity is fundamental to business operations.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple system compromise, as it could enable attackers to gain unauthorized access to database resources, potentially leading to data theft, modification of critical business information, or complete system takeover. The unknown attack vectors and unknown impact characteristics indicate that this vulnerability could be exploited through multiple pathways including network-based attacks against exposed database services or through compromised applications that utilize MDAC for data access. Organizations running affected MDAC versions faced significant risk exposure, particularly in environments where database connectivity was not properly secured or where applications were not designed with security in mind.
The remediation approach for CVE-2002-1918 required immediate patching through Microsoft security updates, with the most effective mitigation involving deployment of the official MDAC security patches that addressed the buffer overflow conditions in the ADO components. Organizations should have implemented network segmentation to limit exposure of affected systems and applied the relevant Microsoft security bulletins as quickly as possible. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability would map to techniques involving exploitation of remote services and privilege escalation, as attackers could potentially leverage the buffer overflow to execute code with elevated privileges and access sensitive database resources. The lack of detailed information regarding specific exploitation methods or attack vectors at the time of reporting highlights the importance of maintaining comprehensive vulnerability intelligence and the challenges in assessing risk when information is limited.