CVE-2002-2174 in 602pro Lan Suite
Summary
by MITRE
The Telnet proxy of 602Pro LAN SUITE 2002 does not restrict the number of outstanding connections to the local host, which allows remote attackers to create a denial of service (memory consumption) via a large number of connections.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/05/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2002-2174 resides within the Telnet proxy component of the 602Pro LAN SUITE 2002 software suite, representing a classic denial of service weakness that exploits insufficient connection management controls. This flaw manifests in the proxy's inability to enforce limits on concurrent connections to local host services, creating an exploitable condition where remote adversaries can systematically consume system resources through excessive connection attempts. The vulnerability specifically targets the network proxy functionality that facilitates Telnet connections, making it particularly dangerous in environments where Telnet services are actively utilized for remote administration or network management tasks.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate resource management within the Telnet proxy service, which fails to implement connection rate limiting or maximum connection thresholds. When remote attackers establish numerous simultaneous connections to the local host through the vulnerable proxy, each connection consumes memory resources and system threads necessary for maintaining network sessions. The absence of connection limiting mechanisms allows these connections to accumulate indefinitely, leading to memory exhaustion and system instability. This type of vulnerability aligns with CWE-400, which classifies unchecked resource consumption as a significant security weakness, and specifically demonstrates characteristics of CWE-1104 related to excessive resource consumption through connection flooding attacks.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption to encompass potential system compromise and availability degradation across networked environments. Remote attackers can leverage this weakness to consume system memory and processing resources, potentially causing the target system to become unresponsive or crash entirely. In enterprise environments where Telnet services are commonly used for administrative access, this vulnerability could be exploited to deny legitimate users access to critical network resources while simultaneously consuming valuable system resources. The attack vector requires only network connectivity to the vulnerable system and does not require authentication, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited by anyone with access to the network.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2002-2174 should focus on implementing connection rate limiting and maximum connection thresholds within the Telnet proxy configuration. System administrators should configure the proxy service to enforce connection limits that prevent excessive resource consumption, typically through the implementation of connection pooling mechanisms or maximum concurrent connection parameters. Network segmentation and firewall rules can provide additional protection by limiting access to the vulnerable Telnet proxy service to trusted network segments only. The implementation of intrusion detection systems can help monitor for unusual connection patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. Additionally, organizations should consider migrating away from Telnet protocols entirely in favor of more secure alternatives such as SSH, which provide better authentication mechanisms and are less susceptible to these types of resource exhaustion attacks. This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of resource management in network services and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.004 for network denial of service attacks, emphasizing the need for proper connection handling and resource limiting in proxy services.