CVE-2004-1890 in IRIX
Summary
by MITRE
Unknown vulnerability in ftpd in SGI IRIX 6.5.20 through 6.5.23 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (hang) via the PORT mode.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/11/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2004-1890 represents a critical denial of service weakness within the ftpd service of SGI IRIX operating systems versions 6.5.20 through 6.5.23. This issue specifically targets the File Transfer Protocol daemon implementation and manifests when remote attackers exploit the PORT mode functionality to induce system hangs. The vulnerability falls under the broader category of denial of service attacks that compromise system availability and can severely impact network services. The affected versions of IRIX represent a legacy operating system environment where such vulnerabilities are particularly concerning due to limited security updates and support cycles.
The technical flaw resides in the ftpd implementation's handling of PORT mode commands within the File Transfer Protocol. When a remote attacker sends a specially crafted PORT command to the ftpd service, the system fails to properly validate or process the incoming connection request, leading to a condition where the service becomes unresponsive or enters an indefinite wait state. This behavior represents a classic resource exhaustion or state management flaw that prevents the ftpd service from processing subsequent legitimate requests. The vulnerability is categorized as a weakness in protocol implementation where proper input validation and error handling mechanisms are missing or insufficient.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption to potentially compromise entire network infrastructure that relies on FTP services for file transfers and data exchange. When the ftpd service becomes unresponsive, legitimate users cannot establish FTP connections, resulting in service unavailability that affects business operations and system accessibility. This vulnerability particularly affects environments where IRIX systems are used for critical file sharing operations or as network service providers. The hang condition can persist until system administrators manually intervene or until the system is restarted, creating extended periods of service downtime that can be exploited for further attacks or cause significant operational disruption.
Security professionals should implement immediate mitigations including disabling PORT mode functionality in ftpd configurations or implementing network-level restrictions to prevent unauthorized access to FTP services. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-400, which categorizes improper handling of resources and states in software implementations. Additionally, this issue maps to ATT&CK technique T1499.004, which covers network denial of service attacks through service interruption. Organizations should consider upgrading to supported IRIX versions or implementing network segmentation to isolate vulnerable systems. Regular security assessments and monitoring of ftpd service behavior can help detect exploitation attempts, while proper firewall rules can restrict access to FTP services from untrusted networks. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper input validation and state management in network services, particularly in legacy systems where security patches may not be readily available.