CVE-2002-2328 in Windows
Summary
by MITRE
Active Directory in Windows 2000, when supporting Kerberos V authentication and GSSAPI, allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (hang) via an LDAP client that sets the page length to zero during a large request.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/13/2024
The vulnerability described in CVE-2002-2328 represents a significant denial of service weakness within Microsoft Windows 2000 Active Directory services that specifically affects the Kerberos V authentication mechanism and GSSAPI implementation. This flaw manifests when an LDAP client establishes a connection to an Active Directory server and deliberately sets the page length parameter to zero during large data requests. The configuration of a zero page length parameter during LDAP operations creates a condition where the Active Directory service enters an infinite loop or becomes unresponsive, effectively causing a denial of service that disrupts legitimate authentication and directory services for all users within the domain.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and error handling within the Active Directory server implementation when processing LDAP requests with malformed page size parameters. When the LDAP client submits a request with a page length of zero, the server fails to properly validate this parameter and instead attempts to process the request with invalid pagination settings. This leads to a condition where the server continuously attempts to handle the malformed request without proper termination conditions, resulting in resource exhaustion and service unavailability. The vulnerability specifically impacts systems running Windows 2000 with Active Directory configured to support Kerberos V authentication and GSSAPI protocols, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where these authentication mechanisms are widely deployed.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption to potentially compromise the entire authentication infrastructure of affected domains. Attackers can exploit this weakness by simply connecting to the Active Directory server and submitting a specially crafted LDAP request with zero page length, requiring minimal technical expertise or resources to execute. The denial of service affects all users attempting to authenticate or access directory services, potentially disrupting business operations, user productivity, and critical business processes that depend on Active Directory authentication. This vulnerability particularly affects enterprise environments where Active Directory serves as the central authentication and directory service, as it can bring down authentication services for thousands of users simultaneously.
From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-129, which addresses improper validation of input boundaries, and represents a classic example of insufficient input validation leading to denial of service conditions. The attack vector follows ATT&CK technique T1499.004, which involves network denial of service attacks that target authentication services and directory servers. Mitigation strategies should include implementing proper input validation on LDAP servers, configuring access controls to limit LDAP client capabilities, and applying the relevant Microsoft security patches released for Windows 2000 systems. Network segmentation and monitoring solutions should be deployed to detect anomalous LDAP traffic patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. Additionally, administrators should consider implementing redundant authentication mechanisms and ensuring proper network access controls to limit exposure to unauthorized LDAP client connections that could exploit this vulnerability.