CVE-2003-1106 in Windows
Summary
by MITRE
The SMTP service in Microsoft Windows 2000 before SP4 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash or hang) via an e-mail message with a malformed time stamp in the FILETIME attribute.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/15/2024
The vulnerability described in CVE-2003-1106 represents a classic buffer overflow condition affecting the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol service in Microsoft Windows 2000 operating systems prior to Service Pack 4. This flaw specifically targets the handling of FILETIME attributes within email messages, demonstrating how seemingly innocuous timestamp data can be exploited to compromise system stability. The vulnerability exists at the protocol level where the SMTP service processes incoming email messages and fails to properly validate the FILETIME structure that contains timestamp information.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation within the Windows 2000 SMTP service component. When an attacker sends an email message containing a malformed FILETIME attribute, the service attempts to parse and process this data without sufficient bounds checking or sanitization. The FILETIME structure, which represents a 64-bit value containing the number of 100-nanosecond intervals since January 1, 1601, becomes corrupted when the timestamp values exceed expected parameters or contain unexpected binary patterns. This improper handling triggers a memory corruption condition that ultimately leads to service instability and system crashes.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risk to organizations relying on Windows 2000 SMTP services for email communication. The remote nature of the attack means that adversaries can exploit this weakness from any location without requiring physical access or local credentials, making it particularly dangerous for enterprise environments. The denial of service impact can result in complete email service interruption, potentially affecting business operations and communication infrastructure. The vulnerability affects the core email infrastructure, making it a high-priority target for attackers seeking to disrupt organizational communications.
The exploitability of this vulnerability aligns with common attack patterns documented in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the T1499 category for network denial of service. The weakness manifests as a remote code execution vector that leverages protocol parsing flaws, specifically targeting the Windows 2000 operating system's email handling capabilities. Organizations should note that this vulnerability has been classified under CWE-121 for buffer overflow conditions and CWE-125 for out-of-bounds read operations, highlighting the fundamental security flaws in memory management and input validation processes. The impact extends beyond simple service interruption as it can potentially lead to system instability and may provide attackers with opportunities for further exploitation.
Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate patch deployment for Windows 2000 systems with Service Pack 4 or higher, as Microsoft released specific security updates addressing this vulnerability. Network segmentation and email filtering mechanisms can provide additional protection layers by implementing content filtering that validates timestamp attributes in incoming email messages. Organizations should also consider implementing intrusion detection systems capable of identifying malformed email traffic patterns and establishing monitoring protocols for unusual SMTP service behavior. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining current security patches and the dangers of running unsupported operating systems in production environments.