CVE-2004-2415 in Davenport
Summary
by MITRE
Davenport before 0.9.10 allows attackers to cause a denial of service (resource consumption) via (1) a very large XML file or (2) entity expansion attacks.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/09/2015
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2004-2415 affects Davenport versions prior to 0.9.10 and represents a significant denial of service weakness that can be exploited through XML processing mechanisms. This vulnerability falls under the category of resource exhaustion attacks where malicious actors can consume excessive system resources leading to service unavailability. The flaw specifically manifests when the application processes XML content without adequate input validation or resource limiting measures, creating opportunities for attackers to manipulate the system's resource consumption patterns.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves two primary attack vectors that leverage XML parsing characteristics to exhaust system resources. The first vector exploits very large XML files that can overwhelm memory allocation and processing capabilities within the Davenport application. The second vector utilizes entity expansion attacks, which are common in XML processing vulnerabilities where attackers craft malicious XML documents containing recursive entity references that expand exponentially during parsing. These entity expansion techniques can cause the parser to consume massive amounts of memory and processing power as it attempts to resolve nested entity references, leading to system resource exhaustion and potential application crashes.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a critical risk to systems relying on Davenport for web services or application integration. The denial of service impact can disrupt legitimate user access and business operations, particularly in environments where continuous availability is essential. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to perform resource exhaustion attacks that may not require authentication or specialized privileges, making them particularly dangerous in unsecured network environments. The vulnerability demonstrates a fundamental lack of input sanitization and resource management within the XML processing pipeline, creating opportunities for attackers to degrade system performance or completely disable service availability.
The underlying technical flaw stems from insufficient XML parser configuration and input validation mechanisms within the Davenport application. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-400, which categorizes unchecked resource consumption as a weakness that can lead to denial of service conditions. The attack patterns employed here are consistent with techniques described in the ATT&CK framework under the resource exhaustion tactics, where adversaries target system resources to disrupt normal operations. The vulnerability also reflects broader issues in XML processing security where applications fail to implement proper limits on entity expansion, maximum document size, and recursive reference resolution. Organizations should implement comprehensive mitigations including XML parser configuration updates, input size limits, entity expansion restrictions, and regular security assessments to address this vulnerability effectively.
This vulnerability highlights the importance of proper XML processing security controls and input validation in web applications. The impact extends beyond simple resource exhaustion to potentially compromise system availability and service integrity. Security teams should prioritize patching affected systems and implementing additional monitoring controls to detect unusual resource consumption patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical need for robust input validation and resource management in all XML processing components, particularly in applications handling external data inputs. Organizations should also consider implementing network-level controls and application firewalls to limit the impact of such vulnerabilities while awaiting proper security updates.