CVE-2004-2317 in AppWeb HTTP Server
Summary
by MITRE
Information leak in Mbedthis AppWeb HTTP server 1.0 through 1.1.2 allows remote attackers to obtain sensitive information via a user message that is generated when Mbedthis denies access.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/17/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2004-2317 represents a critical information disclosure flaw within the Mbedthis AppWeb HTTP server version 1.0 through 1.1.2. This security weakness stems from the server's improper handling of access denial responses, specifically when generating user messages that are subsequently exposed to remote attackers. The flaw falls under the category of information leakage vulnerabilities that can provide adversaries with sensitive data about the system's internal state or configuration details.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs when the Mbedthis AppWeb server processes unauthorized access attempts and generates error messages that inadvertently reveal system-specific information. These messages may contain details such as server version numbers, internal file paths, directory structures, or other metadata that should remain hidden from external users. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it operates at the application layer of the network stack, making it accessible to remote attackers without requiring any special privileges or authentication credentials. The flaw is classified as a CWE-200 information exposure vulnerability, which is a fundamental weakness in software design that allows unauthorized information disclosure.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates significant risks for organizations deploying Mbedthis AppWeb servers in production environments. Remote attackers can leverage this information leak to gather intelligence about the target system, potentially enabling more sophisticated attacks such as privilege escalation, service enumeration, or targeted exploitation of known vulnerabilities in specific server versions. The impact extends beyond simple information disclosure as it provides attackers with the foundational knowledge required to plan more effective attack vectors against the affected infrastructure. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1212, which involves obtaining information about the system, and represents a common pattern in web application security where error handling mechanisms inadvertently expose sensitive data.
The remediation strategy for CVE-2004-2317 requires immediate deployment of updated versions of the Mbedthis AppWeb server that address the information disclosure flaw in access denial responses. Organizations should implement proper error handling procedures that sanitize all user-facing messages to prevent the exposure of internal system details. This includes configuring the server to return generic error messages that do not reveal version information, file paths, or other sensitive metadata. Additionally, system administrators should conduct thorough security reviews of all error handling mechanisms within their web applications, ensuring that no other components inadvertently expose system information. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of following secure coding practices and implementing proper input validation and output sanitization techniques as outlined in OWASP secure coding guidelines. Organizations should also consider implementing network segmentation and access controls to limit the potential impact of such vulnerabilities, while maintaining regular security assessments to identify similar information disclosure weaknesses in their infrastructure.