CVE-2004-2478 in HTTP Server
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in Jetty HTTP Server, as used in (1) IBM Trading Partner Interchange before 4.2.4, (2) CA Unicenter Web Services Distributed Management (WSDM) before 3.11, and possibly other products, allows remote attackers to read arbitrary files via a .. (dot dot) in the URL.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/19/2017
The vulnerability described in CVE-2004-2478 represents a classic directory traversal attack vector that has persisted as a fundamental web security flaw for decades. This issue affects the Jetty HTTP Server implementation within several enterprise applications including IBM Trading Partner Interchange and CA Unicenter Web Services Distributed Management. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and path sanitization within the web server's URL processing logic, allowing malicious actors to manipulate file access through specially crafted URL sequences containing directory traversal sequences. The specific exploitation technique involves appending dot-dot sequences to URLs, which enables attackers to navigate outside the intended web root directory and access files that should remain restricted.
From a technical perspective, this vulnerability maps directly to CWE-22 which describes improper limitation of a pathname to a restricted directory, commonly known as path traversal or directory traversal. The flaw occurs because the affected web servers fail to properly validate or sanitize URL parameters before processing file requests, allowing the .. (dot dot) sequences to be interpreted as directory navigation commands rather than literal path components. This represents a fundamental failure in input validation and access control mechanisms within the web server's file handling routines. The vulnerability exists at the application layer and can be exploited through HTTP requests without requiring any special privileges or authentication, making it particularly dangerous in environments where web applications serve sensitive data.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant and multifaceted across enterprise environments. Attackers can leverage this flaw to access sensitive system files, configuration data, application source code, database files, and other restricted resources that should not be publicly accessible. In the context of IBM Trading Partner Interchange, this could expose business partner data, transaction records, or proprietary trading algorithms. For CA Unicenter WSDM, the implications extend to system management information, user credentials, and operational data that could compromise entire distributed management infrastructures. The vulnerability also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1213.002 which describes data from information repositories, as attackers can systematically harvest sensitive data from exposed file systems. The attack surface is particularly concerning given that this vulnerability affects multiple products from different vendors, suggesting a widespread implementation issue within the Jetty server framework.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should encompass multiple defensive layers to address both immediate exposure and prevent similar issues in future implementations. Organizations should implement comprehensive input validation and sanitization measures within their web applications, specifically ensuring that URL parameters are properly validated to prevent directory traversal sequences from being processed. The recommended approach includes implementing strict path validation that rejects or removes any sequences containing .. or similar traversal indicators. Additionally, organizations should deploy web application firewalls and security monitoring solutions that can detect and block suspicious URL patterns. System administrators should conduct thorough security assessments to identify and remediate all instances of this vulnerability across their infrastructure, while also implementing proper access controls and least privilege principles for web server configurations. The fix typically involves updating to patched versions of the affected products, as the vulnerability requires core server functionality modifications to properly address the input validation gap. This vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of secure coding practices and proper input validation in preventing fundamental security flaws that can compromise entire systems.