CVE-2004-1369 in E-Business Suite
Summary
by MITRE
The TNS Listener in Oracle 10g allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (listener crash) via a malformed service_register_NSGR request containing a value that is used as an invalid offset for a pointer that references incorrect memory.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/21/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2004-1369 represents a critical denial of service flaw within Oracle 10g's TNS Listener component, which operates as a network service that facilitates communication between Oracle database clients and servers. This weakness specifically affects the listener's handling of service registration requests, particularly those involving the NSGR (Network Service Group Registration) mechanism that enables dynamic service registration within Oracle's networking architecture. The TNS Listener serves as a crucial middleware component that listens for incoming connection requests and manages the routing of these requests to appropriate database instances, making it a prime target for attackers seeking to disrupt database services.
The technical flaw manifests when the TNS Listener processes a malformed service_register_NSGR request that contains an invalid offset value which is subsequently used as a pointer reference to memory locations. This improper validation and handling of input data creates a condition where the pointer arithmetic results in accessing memory at an incorrect address, leading to memory corruption and ultimately causing the listener process to crash. The vulnerability stems from insufficient bounds checking and input validation within the listener's parsing logic for NSGR requests, allowing attackers to craft malicious packets that exploit memory management flaws. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-125 Out-of-bounds Read category, as the system attempts to read memory beyond its allocated boundaries, and aligns with CWE-787 Out-of-bounds Write when considering the potential for memory corruption.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption, as it can be exploited by remote attackers without requiring authentication or prior access to the system. When successfully exploited, the TNS Listener crashes and becomes unavailable to process legitimate connection requests, effectively causing a denial of service that can severely impact database availability and business operations. Organizations relying on Oracle 10g database systems may experience significant downtime, especially in environments where database connectivity is critical for application functionality. The attack vector is particularly concerning because it can be executed over the network without requiring local system access, making it accessible to anyone who can reach the listener port, typically port 1521 for Oracle database services. This vulnerability directly maps to the ATT&CK technique T1499.004 for Denial of Service by Resource Exhaustion, though in this case the resource exhaustion manifests as process termination rather than memory exhaustion.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2004-1369 should include immediate application of Oracle's security patches and updates, which address the underlying memory handling issues in the TNS Listener component. Organizations should also implement network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure of the TNS Listener to trusted networks only, reducing the attack surface available to potential attackers. Additional defensive measures include monitoring network traffic for suspicious NSGR request patterns and implementing intrusion detection systems that can identify malformed TNS packets. The vulnerability highlights the importance of input validation and memory safety practices in network service implementations, reinforcing principles from the OWASP Top Ten security framework that emphasize the need for proper error handling and validation of all external inputs. Network administrators should also consider disabling unnecessary Oracle services and implementing firewall rules that restrict access to Oracle listener ports to only authorized hosts and applications.