CVE-2002-2080 in FTGate
Summary
by MITRE
Floositek FTGate PRO 1.05 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (memory and CPU consumption) via a large number of RCPT TO: messages during an SMTP session.
Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/30/2025
The Floositek FTGate PRO 1.05 represents a significant security vulnerability that exposes organizations to denial of service attacks through improper handling of SMTP communication protocols. This particular vulnerability manifests when the system receives an excessive number of RCPT TO: commands during an active SMTP session, creating a condition where the server becomes overwhelmed by resource consumption patterns. The flaw specifically targets the mail gateway's processing capabilities, leveraging the fundamental SMTP protocol's transaction model to exploit resource management weaknesses within the software implementation.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and resource allocation mechanisms within the FTGate PRO 1.05 software architecture. When multiple RCPT TO: commands are processed in rapid succession, the system fails to implement proper rate limiting or resource consumption monitoring, leading to uncontrolled memory allocation and excessive cpu utilization. This behavior aligns with CWE-400, which categorizes unchecked resource consumption as a critical weakness in software systems. The vulnerability operates at the application layer of the network stack, specifically targeting the mail transfer agent's handling of recipient addresses during the SMTP transaction process.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a severe risk to email infrastructure availability and service continuity. Attackers can exploit this weakness by establishing legitimate SMTP connections and then flooding the system with numerous RCPT TO: commands, causing the server to consume escalating amounts of memory and processing power. The impact extends beyond simple service disruption, as the resource exhaustion can potentially cause system instability, application crashes, or complete system hang conditions that may require manual intervention to restore normal operations. This type of attack directly maps to the ATT&CK technique T1499.004, which describes resource exhaustion attacks targeting network services.
Organizations utilizing FTGate PRO 1.05 should implement immediate mitigations including the deployment of SMTP rate limiting mechanisms, connection throttling policies, and enhanced monitoring of resource consumption patterns during SMTP sessions. Network-level firewalls and intrusion prevention systems can be configured to detect and block excessive RCPT TO: command sequences, while system administrators should establish baseline resource utilization thresholds to trigger automated alerts when abnormal consumption patterns are detected. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of proper software patch management and regular security assessments of email infrastructure components. Implementing proper input validation and resource management controls within the SMTP processing pipeline would effectively prevent this type of exploitation while maintaining legitimate service functionality and user experience.