CVE-2002-2071 in Tru64
Summary
by MITRE
Compaq Tru64 4.0 d allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service in (1) telnet, (2) FTP, (3) ypbind, (4) rpc.lockd, (5) snmp, (6) ttdbserverd, and possibly other services via a TCP SYN scan, as demonstrated using nmap.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/24/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2002-2071 represents a significant denial of service weakness affecting Compaq Tru64 4.0d operating system implementations. This flaw manifests across multiple critical network services including telnet, ftp, ypbind, rpc.lockd, snmp, and ttdbserverd, demonstrating the widespread nature of the underlying issue. The vulnerability specifically exploits TCP SYN scanning techniques to trigger system instability, with nmap serving as the demonstrated exploitation tool. This weakness fundamentally compromises the availability of network services by causing system processes to become unresponsive or crash entirely, creating a denial of service condition that affects legitimate users and network operations.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the improper handling of TCP SYN packets within the network stack implementation of the Tru64 operating system. When subjected to TCP SYN scans, the affected services fail to properly validate incoming connection requests, leading to resource exhaustion or process termination. This behavior aligns with CWE-119, which addresses improper access to memory locations, and CWE-400, which covers resource exhaustion vulnerabilities. The flaw essentially creates a condition where legitimate network traffic can be used to trigger abnormal system behavior, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited by attackers without requiring authentication or elevated privileges.
The operational impact of CVE-2002-2071 extends beyond simple service disruption, as it affects core network infrastructure components that many organizations depend upon for critical operations. When telnet, ftp, and other essential services become unavailable, it creates cascading effects that can compromise business continuity and network accessibility. The vulnerability's ability to affect multiple services simultaneously amplifies its impact, potentially causing widespread network outages that affect numerous users and applications. From an attack perspective, this weakness falls under the MITRE ATT&CK framework category of T1499, which covers network denial of service attacks, and specifically targets the availability aspect of the CIA triad.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should implement immediate mitigations including network segmentation to limit exposure, firewall rules to block suspicious TCP SYN scanning attempts, and service hardening measures to reduce attack surface. The implementation of intrusion detection systems can help identify exploitation attempts, while regular system updates and patches should be prioritized to address the underlying implementation flaws. Additionally, administrators should consider implementing rate limiting and connection tracking mechanisms to prevent resource exhaustion attacks. The vulnerability's presence in multiple services underscores the importance of comprehensive security assessments and the need for robust network monitoring to detect and respond to exploitation attempts effectively.