CVE-2003-0366 in lyskom-server
Summary
by MITRE
lyskom-server 2.0.7 and earlier allows unauthenticated users to cause a denial of service (CPU consumption) via a large query.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/21/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2003-0366 affects the lyskom-server version 2.0.7 and earlier, representing a significant security flaw that enables unauthenticated attackers to trigger a denial of service condition through CPU exhaustion. This issue stems from the server's insufficient input validation mechanisms when processing query requests, allowing malicious actors to craft specially formatted queries that consume excessive computational resources. The vulnerability specifically targets the server's query processing functionality, which serves as a critical component for handling user interactions and data retrieval within the lyskom system.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability exploits the server's failure to properly sanitize and limit query parameters, enabling attackers to submit malformed or excessively large queries that cause the system to consume disproportionate CPU cycles. When the lyskom-server processes these malformed queries, it enters into computationally intensive operations that can lead to complete system unresponsiveness or crash. This type of attack falls under the category of resource exhaustion attacks, where the attacker leverages the server's processing capabilities against itself to deny legitimate users access to the service. The vulnerability demonstrates poor input validation practices that align with CWE-20, which specifically addresses improper input validation as a fundamental weakness in software security design.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption, as it can affect the availability of critical communication services that rely on the lyskom-server infrastructure. Organizations using affected versions of the server may experience complete service outages, particularly in environments where the server handles high volumes of legitimate queries. The unauthenticated nature of the attack means that any external party can exploit this vulnerability without requiring prior access credentials, making it particularly dangerous in publicly accessible systems. This vulnerability can be classified under ATT&CK technique T1499.004, which covers network denial of service attacks, and represents a classic example of how insufficient resource management can lead to system compromise.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on immediate patching of the lyskom-server software to version 2.0.8 or later, which contains the necessary fixes for proper query validation and resource limiting. Additionally, administrators should implement query rate limiting and size restrictions at the network level to prevent malicious queries from reaching the server. Input validation mechanisms should be enhanced to include proper bounds checking and parameter sanitization for all query processing operations. Network monitoring solutions should be deployed to detect unusual CPU consumption patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. The fix implemented in the patched version addresses the root cause by introducing proper query parameter validation and implementing resource consumption limits that prevent any single query from consuming excessive system resources. Organizations should also consider implementing intrusion detection systems that can identify and block suspicious query patterns that match the characteristics of this vulnerability, thereby providing layered protection against similar attacks.