CVE-2004-0799 in Whatsup Gold
Summary
by MITRE
The HTTP daemon in Ipswitch WhatsUp Gold 8.03 and 8.03 Hotfix 1 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (server crash) via a GET request containing an MS-DOS device name, as demonstrated using "prn.htm".
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/27/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2004-0799 represents a critical denial of service flaw within the HTTP daemon of Ipswitch WhatsUp Gold version 8.03 and its subsequent hotfix 1. This issue arises from the application's inadequate handling of specific file path requests that contain MS-DOS device names, which are legacy identifiers used in the Windows operating system for hardware devices such as prn for printers, com1 for serial ports, and lpt1 for parallel ports. The vulnerability specifically manifests when a remote attacker crafts a GET request that includes these device names within the requested resource path, exploiting a fundamental weakness in the application's input validation mechanisms.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the manipulation of HTTP request parameters to include MS-DOS device names, with the proof of concept demonstrating the use of "prn.htm" as the malicious resource name. When the HTTP daemon processes this request, it fails to properly sanitize or validate the input containing the device name, leading to an improper handling of the request that ultimately results in a server crash or complete denial of service condition. This behavior stems from the underlying operating system's interpretation of these device names, which can cause the application to attempt operations that either crash the process or consume excessive system resources, thereby rendering the service unavailable to legitimate users.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption as it provides attackers with a straightforward method to compromise the availability of network monitoring services that rely on Ipswitch WhatsUp Gold. Organizations utilizing this software for network infrastructure monitoring face significant risk since the denial of service can occur without authentication requirements, making it particularly dangerous in environments where network availability is critical. The vulnerability affects the core functionality of the application's web interface, which is commonly used for remote access and configuration management, potentially leaving administrators unable to respond to the attack or maintain system operations during the disruption period.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-20, which describes improper input validation, and demonstrates how legacy system components can introduce security weaknesses in modern applications. The flaw represents a classic case of insufficient sanitization of user-supplied input, where the application fails to properly handle special characters or reserved names that have specific meanings in the underlying operating system. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to the T1499.004 technique related to network denial of service, and the T1566.001 technique involving social engineering through malicious web content. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including network segmentation to limit access to the affected service, implementing web application firewalls to filter out suspicious requests containing device names, and applying the vendor-provided patches or upgrading to newer versions of the software that properly handle these input scenarios. The vulnerability highlights the importance of thorough input validation and the need for security-conscious development practices when integrating legacy system components into modern applications, particularly in critical infrastructure monitoring solutions where availability is paramount to network operations and security monitoring capabilities.