CVE-2004-1501 in 602 Lan Suite
Summary
by MITRE
The webmail service in 602 Lan Suite 2004.0.04.0909 and earlier allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (CPU and memory consumption) by sending a POST request with a large Content-Length value, then disconnecting without sending that amount of data.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/15/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2004-1501 affects the webmail service component of 602 Lan Suite version 2004.0.0.4.0909 and earlier releases, representing a significant security flaw that enables remote attackers to execute denial of service attacks against the system. This issue specifically targets the HTTP POST request processing mechanism within the webmail service, where the application fails to properly validate or handle incoming requests with artificially inflated content length parameters. The vulnerability operates by exploiting a fundamental weakness in the request handling logic that does not adequately verify the actual data transmission against the declared content length, creating an opportunity for malicious actors to consume system resources without actually transmitting the expected data volume.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the webmail service's inadequate input validation and resource management practices during HTTP request processing. When a remote attacker sends a POST request with an exaggerated Content-Length header value, the webmail service initiates resource allocation and buffer preparation processes based on the declared data size, even though no actual data transmission occurs. This behavior creates a resource exhaustion condition where the system allocates memory buffers and processing capacity for data that will never arrive, leading to progressive CPU and memory consumption until system performance degrades significantly or becomes completely unresponsive. The flaw represents a classic example of a resource exhaustion attack pattern that exploits the server's failure to implement proper request validation and connection management protocols.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability poses a serious threat to system availability and service integrity within organizations using 602 Lan Suite. The denial of service condition can render the webmail service completely inaccessible to legitimate users, disrupting communication workflows and potentially affecting business operations that depend on email services. The attack requires minimal resources from the attacker, who only needs to establish a connection and send a malformed request, making it particularly dangerous as it can be executed by anyone with network access to the vulnerable system. The resource consumption pattern typically manifests as gradual system slowdown followed by complete service unavailability, making detection and mitigation challenging as the attack may appear as normal system behavior until the resource exhaustion becomes critical.
The vulnerability aligns with several established security frameworks and classifications, including CWE-400 which covers "Uncontrolled Resource Consumption" and CWE-119 which addresses "Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer." From the MITRE ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to the T1499.004 technique related to "Endpoint Denial of Service" and potentially T1595.001 for "Scanning for Information" as attackers may first probe for vulnerable systems before launching the actual denial of service attack. The attack vector operates through the network layer, specifically targeting HTTP services, and requires no authentication or specialized privileges to exploit, making it particularly dangerous in environments where network access is not properly restricted. Organizations should implement proper input validation, connection timeout mechanisms, and resource allocation limits to prevent exploitation of this vulnerability.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2004-1501 should focus on implementing proper request validation and connection management within the webmail service. System administrators should ensure that all HTTP request processing includes verification of actual data transmission against declared content lengths, implementing connection timeouts and maximum request size limits to prevent resource exhaustion. Network-level protections such as firewall rules and rate limiting can help reduce the impact of such attacks by limiting the number of concurrent connections and request processing. The most effective long-term solution involves updating to a patched version of 602 Lan Suite that addresses the resource management flaw in the webmail service, as the vulnerability represents a fundamental design weakness in the application's request handling architecture that cannot be adequately mitigated through network-level controls alone.