CVE-2003-1342 in Virus Control System
Summary
by MITRE
Trend Micro Virus Control System (TVCS) 1.8 running with IIS allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (memory consumption) in IIS via multiple URL requests for ActiveSupport.exe.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/03/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2003-1342 represents a significant security flaw within the Trend Micro Virus Control System version 1.8 when deployed in conjunction with Microsoft Internet Information Services. This issue manifests as a remote denial of service condition that specifically targets the memory consumption patterns of IIS servers. The vulnerability stems from the improper handling of multiple concurrent URL requests directed toward the ActiveSupport.exe component within the TVCS framework, creating a scenario where system resources become rapidly depleted through sustained exploitation attempts.
The technical mechanism behind this vulnerability involves the manipulation of HTTP request patterns to trigger excessive memory allocation within the IIS server environment. When multiple simultaneous requests are made to the ActiveSupport.exe executable, the system fails to properly manage memory resources, leading to progressive memory consumption that eventually results in service disruption. This behavior aligns with CWE-400, which categorizes unchecked resource allocation as a fundamental weakness in software design that can lead to resource exhaustion attacks. The flaw demonstrates how improper input validation and resource management can create pathways for attackers to consume system resources without requiring authentication or privileged access.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a substantial risk to organizations relying on Trend Micro solutions integrated with IIS servers. The denial of service condition can effectively render web services unavailable to legitimate users, causing business disruption and potential financial losses. Attackers can exploit this weakness using relatively simple methods, requiring only the ability to send multiple HTTP requests to the targeted system, making the attack surface particularly broad and accessible. The impact extends beyond mere service interruption as the memory consumption pattern can potentially affect other applications running on the same server, creating cascading effects throughout the system infrastructure.
The attack vector for CVE-2003-1342 operates through the standard HTTP protocol, leveraging the web server's response handling mechanisms to trigger the memory exhaustion condition. This vulnerability specifically targets the interaction between Trend Micro's security software and Microsoft's IIS platform, highlighting the importance of proper integration testing between security tools and web server environments. Organizations should consider implementing network-level protections and monitoring systems to detect unusual patterns of URL requests that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability also demonstrates the critical need for proper resource management in web applications, as outlined in ATT&CK technique T1499.004 for network denial of service attacks.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should include immediate patching of the Trend Micro Virus Control System to version 1.8 or later, which contains the necessary fixes to address the memory consumption issues. Additionally, organizations should implement rate limiting mechanisms at the network level to prevent excessive requests from overwhelming the system. Configuration changes within IIS to limit concurrent connections and implement proper resource monitoring can help detect and prevent exploitation attempts. Security professionals should also consider deploying intrusion detection systems that can identify suspicious patterns of multiple concurrent requests targeting specific executables. The remediation process should involve thorough testing of patched systems to ensure that the fix does not introduce compatibility issues with existing security policies or network configurations.