CVE-2002-2258 in Netsuite
Summary
by MITRE
Moby NetSuite allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) via an HTTP POST request with a (1) large integer or (2) non-numeric value in the Content-Length header, which causes an access violation after a failed atoi function call.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/20/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2002-2258 affects the Moby NetSuite web application, representing a classic buffer overflow condition that stems from improper input validation within the HTTP request processing pipeline. This flaw specifically targets the Content-Length header parsing mechanism where the application fails to properly validate the data type and range of values submitted by remote attackers. The vulnerability resides in the application's handling of HTTP POST requests, where it attempts to convert the Content-Length header value using the standard library function atoi, which is susceptible to malformed input processing. When an attacker submits a request containing either an excessively large integer or a non-numeric value in the Content-Length header, the atoi function fails to properly parse the input, leading to a memory access violation that ultimately results in application crash and denial of service.
This vulnerability directly maps to CWE-121, which describes buffer overflow conditions in heap-based data structures, and CWE-122, which addresses heap-based buffer overflow conditions that occur when the program writes beyond the boundaries of allocated heap memory. The technical implementation flaw occurs because the application does not perform adequate bounds checking or input sanitization before attempting to convert the Content-Length header value to an integer format. The atoi function, which converts string representations to integers, does not perform range validation or error checking for invalid inputs, leaving the application vulnerable to malformed data that can cause memory corruption. This type of vulnerability falls under the ATT&CK technique T1499.004, which describes network denial of service attacks targeting application layer protocols, specifically exploiting weaknesses in input validation mechanisms.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption as it allows remote attackers to reliably crash the Moby NetSuite application without requiring any authentication or privileged access. The denial of service condition affects the availability of the web service, potentially impacting business operations and customer access to the application. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability using simple HTTP POST requests with crafted Content-Length headers, making the attack vector extremely accessible and difficult to prevent through basic network monitoring. The vulnerability affects the core functionality of the web application by causing the process to terminate unexpectedly, requiring system administrators to restart the service and potentially resulting in data loss or service interruption during recovery operations. Organizations using affected versions of Moby NetSuite face significant risk as this vulnerability can be exploited by automated scanning tools or malicious actors seeking to disrupt services.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing robust input validation mechanisms that prevent malformed data from reaching the atoi conversion function. The recommended approach involves validating the Content-Length header value before attempting any numeric conversion, including checking for valid numeric format, appropriate range limits, and implementing proper error handling for conversion failures. Organizations should implement defensive programming practices such as using safer string-to-integer conversion functions like strtol or strtoul that provide better error reporting capabilities, along with bounds checking to prevent integer overflow conditions. Additionally, implementing rate limiting and request filtering mechanisms at the network level can help reduce the impact of automated exploitation attempts. The fix should also include proper exception handling and logging of malformed requests to enable security monitoring and incident response activities. System administrators should ensure that all web applications implementing similar functionality undergo comprehensive input validation testing and follow secure coding practices to prevent similar vulnerabilities from being introduced in future development cycles.