CVE-2003-0123 in Lotus Domino
Summary
by MITRE
Buffer overflow in Web Retriever client for Lotus Notes/Domino R4.5 through R6 allows remote malicious web servers to cause a denial of service (crash) via a long HTTP status line.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/22/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2003-0123 represents a critical buffer overflow flaw within the Web Retriever client component of IBM Lotus Notes/Domino versions ranging from R4.5 through R6. This issue specifically targets the client-side HTTP status line processing functionality that handles web requests initiated through the Notes/Domino environment. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation mechanisms within the Web Retriever client, which fails to properly sanitize or limit the length of HTTP status lines received from remote web servers. When a malicious web server sends an excessively long HTTP status line, the client application attempts to store this data in a fixed-size buffer without proper bounds checking, leading to memory corruption that ultimately results in application termination.
This buffer overflow condition falls under the CWE-121 category of stack-based buffer overflow, where the vulnerability occurs due to insufficient bounds checking of input data. The attack vector is particularly concerning as it requires no authentication or special privileges from the attacker, making it an attractive target for remote exploitation. The Web Retriever client is designed to fetch web content and integrate it into Notes/Domino applications, but this functionality becomes a security liability when processing untrusted web content. The vulnerability creates a scenario where any remote web server can craft a malicious HTTP response that triggers the buffer overflow, causing the Notes/Domino client to crash and potentially resulting in complete service disruption.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service, as it can compromise the availability of critical business applications that rely on Notes/Domino for email, collaboration, and document management services. Organizations using affected versions of Lotus Notes/Domino may experience significant downtime when malicious actors exploit this vulnerability, particularly in environments where users frequently access external web resources through the Notes client. The crash condition affects not only individual user sessions but can potentially impact entire Domino servers if multiple clients are simultaneously compromised. From an attack perspective, this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.004 for network denial of service attacks, where adversaries leverage software vulnerabilities to disrupt services and cause system unavailability. The vulnerability's exploitation can occur through various means including malicious web pages, compromised websites, or even through man-in-the-middle attacks that intercept and modify web traffic.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2003-0123 should prioritize immediate patching of affected Lotus Notes/Domino installations to the latest available security updates from IBM. Organizations should also implement network-level controls to restrict access to external web resources when possible, particularly for systems running vulnerable versions of the software. Network segmentation and firewall rules can help limit exposure by preventing direct access to web servers that might attempt to exploit this vulnerability. Additionally, administrators should consider disabling the Web Retriever client functionality entirely if it is not essential for business operations, as this eliminates the attack surface entirely. Regular security monitoring and log analysis should be implemented to detect potential exploitation attempts, and system administrators should maintain awareness of the specific HTTP status line patterns that could trigger this vulnerability. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper input validation and bounds checking in client-side applications, reinforcing security best practices that align with industry standards for secure coding and defensive programming techniques.