CVE-2003-0627 in Peopletools
Summary
by MITRE
psdoccgi.exe in PeopleSoft PeopleTools 8.4 through 8.43 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash), possibly via the headername and footername arguments.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/23/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2003-0627 affects the psdoccgi.exe component within PeopleSoft PeopleTools version 8.4 through 8.43, representing a significant security weakness that enables remote attackers to execute denial of service attacks against affected systems. This issue specifically targets the document generation functionality of PeopleSoft applications, which are widely used in enterprise environments for business process automation and management. The vulnerability stems from improper input validation within the psdoccgi.exe executable, which processes document-related requests in PeopleSoft applications.
The technical flaw manifests when attackers provide maliciously crafted headername and footername arguments to the psdoccgi.exe component. These parameters are intended to control document formatting elements but are not properly sanitized or validated by the application. When processed, these malformed inputs cause the application to crash or become unresponsive, resulting in a denial of service condition that disrupts legitimate business operations. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and can be exploited remotely without requiring authentication or specialized privileges, making it particularly dangerous in production environments where continuous availability is critical. This weakness aligns with CWE-121, which describes heap-based buffer overflow conditions, and represents a classic example of improper input validation that can lead to application instability.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption, as PeopleSoft applications typically serve as core business systems that manage financial transactions, human resources, and other critical enterprise functions. When psdoccgi.exe crashes due to this vulnerability, it can affect document generation capabilities across multiple business processes, potentially causing cascading failures throughout the organization's IT infrastructure. The vulnerability's remote exploitability means that attackers can target these systems from external networks, making it a particularly attractive target for malicious actors seeking to disrupt business operations. Organizations relying on PeopleSoft solutions may experience significant downtime, productivity losses, and potential financial impacts when such attacks occur, particularly during critical business periods.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2003-0627 should focus on immediate patching of affected PeopleSoft PeopleTools installations to version 8.44 or later, which contains the necessary fixes for this vulnerability. Network-level protections including firewall rules and access control lists should be implemented to restrict access to the psdoccgi.exe endpoint, particularly from untrusted networks. Input validation measures should be strengthened at the application level to sanitize all user-provided parameters, including headername and footername arguments, before processing. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual patterns of requests to document generation endpoints that could indicate exploitation attempts. Organizations should also consider implementing intrusion detection systems that can identify and alert on potential exploitation attempts targeting this specific vulnerability, as outlined in the attack patterns documented in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under application layer attacks. Additionally, regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify similar weaknesses in other components of the PeopleSoft environment and ensure comprehensive protection against similar threats.