CVE-2004-0297 in IMail
Summary
by MITRE
Buffer overflow in the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) daemon (iLDAP.exe 3.9.15.10) in Ipswitch IMail Server 8.03 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) and execute arbitrary code via an LDAP message with a large tag length.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/15/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2004-0297 represents a critical buffer overflow flaw within the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol daemon of Ipswitch IMail Server version 8.03. This issue specifically affects the iLDAP.exe component with version 3.9.15.10, which serves as the LDAP service handler for the email server platform. The flaw manifests when the daemon processes incoming LDAP messages that contain excessively long tag lengths, creating a condition where memory allocation becomes insufficient to handle the malformed data structure. This vulnerability operates at the protocol level, exploiting the fundamental parsing mechanisms used to interpret directory service requests within the IMail environment.
The technical exploitation of this buffer overflow occurs through carefully crafted LDAP messages that manipulate the tag length field to exceed the allocated buffer boundaries. When the iLDAP.exe daemon attempts to process these malformed messages, it fails to properly validate the input length before copying data into fixed-size memory buffers. This results in memory corruption that can be leveraged by remote attackers to either crash the service or potentially execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the running process. The vulnerability demonstrates characteristics consistent with CWE-121, which describes heap-based buffer overflow conditions where insufficient bounds checking allows attackers to overwrite adjacent memory locations.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service scenarios, as it provides potential for remote code execution within the context of the IMail server. Attackers can exploit this weakness to gain unauthorized access to the server, potentially leading to complete system compromise or data exfiltration. The remote nature of the attack means that adversaries do not require physical access or local credentials to exploit the vulnerability, making it particularly dangerous in networked environments where IMail servers are exposed to external traffic. This vulnerability affects organizations that rely on IMail Server for email services and directory integration, creating significant risk for businesses with exposed LDAP services.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the vendor-provided patches or updates that address the buffer overflow in the iLDAP.exe component. Network segmentation and firewall rules should be configured to restrict access to the LDAP ports (typically 389) from trusted networks only, reducing the attack surface. Additionally, implementing intrusion detection systems that monitor for unusual LDAP traffic patterns can help detect exploitation attempts. Security monitoring should focus on identifying malformed LDAP messages with unexpected tag lengths that could indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability highlights the importance of input validation and proper memory management in network services, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and script injection, as successful exploitation could lead to arbitrary code execution. Organizations should also consider implementing application whitelisting policies to prevent unauthorized execution of vulnerable components and maintain regular vulnerability assessments to identify similar issues in other network services.