CVE-2004-2297 in PHP-Nuke
Summary
by MITRE
The Reviews module in PHP-Nuke 6.0 to 7.3 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (CPU and memory consumption) via a large, out-of-range score parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/09/2025
The vulnerability described in CVE-2004-2297 represents a classic denial of service weakness within the Reviews module of PHP-Nuke versions 6.0 through 7.3. This flaw specifically targets the module's handling of user input parameters, particularly the score parameter that is used to rate content within the reviews system. The vulnerability arises from insufficient input validation and sanitization mechanisms that fail to properly process malformed or excessively large parameter values. When an attacker submits a review with an extremely large or out-of-range score value, the system processes this input without adequate bounds checking, leading to resource exhaustion. The affected PHP-Nuke versions were widely deployed in web applications during the early 2000s, making this vulnerability particularly concerning as it could be exploited across numerous websites and applications that relied on this content management system. The issue stems from a fundamental lack of proper parameter validation that aligns with CWE-20, which describes weaknesses in input handling and validation.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs when the Reviews module receives a score parameter that exceeds reasonable bounds for a rating system. The system processes this parameter through its internal validation routines without proper bounds checking, causing the application to consume excessive CPU cycles and memory resources. The out-of-range values can trigger inefficient processing loops or cause the system to allocate disproportionate amounts of memory to handle the malformed input. This processing behavior creates a resource exhaustion condition where legitimate users may be unable to access the system due to the excessive consumption of computing resources. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and does not require authentication, making it particularly dangerous as any remote attacker can exploit it without prior access credentials. This aligns with the ATT&CK technique T1499.004 which covers network denial of service attacks through resource exhaustion.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption to potentially affect the entire web application infrastructure. When exploited, the denial of service condition can cause the web server to become unresponsive, leading to complete service interruption for legitimate users. The resource consumption patterns can cause system instability, potentially affecting other applications running on the same server. Organizations relying on PHP-Nuke systems during this time period would have faced significant operational challenges, as attackers could easily disrupt their online services with minimal technical expertise. The vulnerability also demonstrates poor software design practices regarding input validation and error handling, which are fundamental security principles that should be implemented at all levels of application development. The impact is particularly severe because the vulnerability affects core functionality of the content management system, potentially compromising the availability of entire websites and online communities that depend on these platforms for user-generated content and reviews. Organizations should have implemented input sanitization measures, parameter validation, and resource limiting mechanisms to prevent such exploitation scenarios from occurring in their deployed systems.