CVE-2004-2499 in Web Page Generator Enterprise
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in Hitachi Web Page Generator and Web Page Generator Enterprise 4.01 and earlier allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service via unknown attack vectors when a web site is "improperly accessed."
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/19/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2004-2499 represents a significant security flaw in Hitachi Web Page Generator and Web Page Generator Enterprise versions 4.01 and earlier. This unspecified weakness manifests when websites utilizing these tools experience improper access patterns that trigger denial of service conditions. The vulnerability classification indicates a critical security gap that could be exploited by remote attackers without requiring authentication or specialized privileges to disrupt service availability. The affected systems operate within the web application infrastructure layer where legitimate user requests can be manipulated to cause system instability or complete service interruption. This type of vulnerability falls under the broader category of denial of service attacks that target application logic flaws rather than network infrastructure weaknesses.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and error handling mechanisms within the Hitachi web page generation software. When improperly accessed websites encounter specific request patterns or malformed input, the application fails to properly process these inputs and instead crashes or becomes unresponsive. This behavior creates a condition where legitimate service requests are disrupted while malicious actors can repeatedly trigger the same failure scenario to maintain system unavailability. The vulnerability demonstrates poor defensive programming practices and inadequate exception handling that allows attackers to exploit application state transitions through carefully crafted access patterns. From a cybersecurity perspective, this represents a classic example of how improper error handling can lead to service disruption and availability compromise.
The operational impact of CVE-2004-2499 extends beyond simple service interruption to potentially affect business continuity and customer satisfaction for organizations relying on Hitachi Web Page Generator solutions. When attackers successfully exploit this vulnerability, they can render websites completely inaccessible to legitimate users, causing significant financial losses and reputational damage. The remote nature of the attack means that organizations cannot simply restrict network access to prevent exploitation, as the vulnerability can be triggered from anywhere on the internet. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous for publicly accessible web applications where the attack surface is large and monitoring is challenging. The lack of specific details about the exact attack vectors makes defensive measures more difficult as organizations cannot implement targeted patches or configuration changes without complete understanding of the exploitation mechanism.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should prioritize immediate remediation through official vendor patches and updates when available. The recommended mitigation strategy involves upgrading to patched versions of Hitachi Web Page Generator and Web Page Generator Enterprise that address the underlying error handling issues. Network segmentation and access control measures can provide temporary protection by limiting exposure to the vulnerable systems, though these are not permanent solutions. Implementing robust monitoring and intrusion detection systems can help identify exploitation attempts and provide early warning of potential attacks. From a compliance perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-707 and CWE-119 categories that address improper handling of input data and inadequate error recovery mechanisms. The attack patterns associated with this vulnerability map to ATT&CK techniques related to denial of service and application layer attacks that target web application infrastructure. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls and security configuration reviews to reduce the attack surface and improve overall system resilience against similar vulnerabilities.