CVE-2002-1989 in Resin
Summary
by MITRE
Resin 2.1.1 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (thread and connection consumption) via multiple URL requests containing the DOS CON device name and a registered file extension such as .jsp or .xtp.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/11/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2002-1989 affects Resin 2.1.1 web application server, representing a denial of service weakness that can be exploited remotely by attackers. This issue stems from the server's improper handling of specific URL requests containing the DOS CON device name combined with registered file extensions such as .jsp or .xtp. The flaw demonstrates a classic example of inadequate input validation and resource management within web server components, creating a pathway for malicious actors to consume system resources and potentially render the service unavailable to legitimate users.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability exploits the underlying operating system's device name handling mechanisms. When Resin 2.1.1 encounters URL requests containing the DOS CON device name followed by file extensions, the server's request processing logic fails to properly sanitize or reject these malformed inputs. This results in the server attempting to process these requests through its normal execution flow, leading to excessive thread and connection consumption. The CON device name represents a special device in DOS/Windows systems that can cause unexpected behavior when processed by applications, particularly those handling file paths or URL parsing.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates significant security concerns for organizations relying on Resin 2.1.1 for web application hosting. Attackers can initiate multiple concurrent requests exploiting this flaw, causing the web server to consume all available threads and connections, effectively creating a denial of service condition. The resource exhaustion manifests as thread starvation and connection pool depletion, preventing legitimate users from accessing web applications hosted on the vulnerable server. This type of attack directly violates the availability principle of the CIA security triad and can result in substantial business disruption and potential financial losses.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-20, which describes improper input validation, and demonstrates how inadequate sanitization of user-supplied data can lead to resource exhaustion attacks. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this represents a denial of service technique that can be categorized under T1499.004 - Endpoint Denial of Service, where adversaries leverage application-level flaws to consume system resources. The attack vector is particularly concerning as it requires minimal technical expertise to execute, making it accessible to a wide range of threat actors. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including input filtering, request rate limiting, and upgrading to patched versions of Resin. Additionally, network-level firewalls and intrusion prevention systems can be configured to detect and block requests containing suspicious device names, providing an additional layer of defense against such exploitation attempts.