CVE-2004-1899 in Monit
Summary
by MITRE
The administration interface in Monit 1.4 through 4.2 allows remote attackers to cause an off-by-one overflow via a POST that contains 1024 bytes.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/23/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2004-1899 represents a critical buffer overflow condition within the administration interface of Monit versions 1.4 through 4.2. This flaw exists in the handling of POST requests within the web-based management console, creating a potential pathway for remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected systems. The specific nature of the vulnerability manifests as an off-by-one overflow, which occurs when the application processes a POST request containing exactly 1024 bytes of data. This precise byte count suggests the vulnerability stems from improper boundary checking within the input validation mechanisms of the web interface.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the application's failure to properly validate the length of incoming POST data before processing it within memory buffers. When a remote attacker sends a specially crafted POST request with exactly 1024 bytes, the application's buffer handling logic fails to account for the boundary conditions, leading to memory corruption that can be exploited to overwrite adjacent memory locations. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-121 category of buffer overflow conditions, specifically representing a heap-based buffer overflow that can result in arbitrary code execution. The off-by-one nature indicates that the application incorrectly calculates buffer boundaries, allowing one additional byte to be written beyond the allocated memory space.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a severe risk to systems running affected versions of Monit, as it enables remote code execution without requiring authentication. Attackers can leverage this weakness to gain full administrative control over monitored systems, potentially leading to complete system compromise. The impact extends beyond individual host exploitation, as Monit is commonly deployed across enterprise environments for system monitoring and alerting, making the compromise of a single monitored system a potential gateway to broader network infiltration. The vulnerability's remote exploitability means that attackers can target these systems from outside the network perimeter, significantly expanding the attack surface and reducing the effectiveness of traditional network security controls.
The mitigation strategies for CVE-2004-1899 primarily focus on immediate version upgrades to Monit 4.3 or later, which contain patches addressing the buffer overflow conditions. Organizations should also implement network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure of Monit administration interfaces to untrusted networks. Additional protective measures include configuring firewalls to restrict access to Monit's web interface ports, implementing intrusion detection systems to monitor for suspicious POST requests, and conducting thorough security assessments of all Monit installations within the environment. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper input validation and boundary checking in web applications, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1210 for exploitation of remote services and T1059 for command execution. Regular security updates and vulnerability management processes are essential to prevent exploitation of similar buffer overflow conditions in other system components.