CVE-2004-2519 in Gattaca Server 2003
Summary
by MITRE
Gattaca Server 2003 1.1.10.0 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (CPU consumption) via directory specifiers in the LANGUAGE parameter to (1) index.tmpl and (2) web.tmpl, such as (a) slash "/", (b) backslash "\", (c) dot ".",, (d) dot dot "..", and (e) internal slash "lang//en".
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/10/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2004-2519 affects Gattaca Server 2003 version 1.1.10.0, representing a critical denial of service weakness that can be exploited remotely by attackers to consume excessive cpu resources. This issue specifically targets the server's handling of the LANGUAGE parameter within two key template files: index.tmpl and web.tmpl. The flaw stems from inadequate input validation and processing of directory traversal sequences that are passed through the LANGUAGE parameter, creating a condition where maliciously crafted requests can trigger excessive system resource consumption.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability involves sending specially crafted requests containing directory specifiers to the affected server components. Attackers can utilize various directory traversal patterns including forward slashes "/", backslashes "\", single dots ".", double dots "..", and internal slash sequences like "lang//en" within the LANGUAGE parameter. These sequences, when processed by the server's template handling mechanism, cause the system to engage in excessive computational work as it attempts to resolve and process these malformed path references. The server's failure to properly sanitize or limit these input sequences results in a scenario where each malicious request can cause the cpu to spike significantly, potentially leading to complete system unresponsiveness.
This vulnerability represents a classic case of insufficient input validation and improper resource handling, which aligns with CWE-20 (Improper Input Validation) and CWE-400 (Uncontrolled Resource Consumption). The operational impact of this weakness extends beyond simple service disruption as it can effectively render the entire server unavailable to legitimate users, creating a denial of service condition that can persist until the server is manually restarted or the malicious requests are filtered. The remote nature of the attack means that adversaries do not require physical access or local system privileges to exploit this vulnerability, making it particularly dangerous in networked environments where the server is accessible to external parties.
The exploitation mechanism demonstrates how seemingly benign input parameters can be weaponized to create system resource exhaustion. When the server processes these malformed directory specifiers, it likely attempts to traverse file system paths or resolve template references in a recursive or iterative manner that consumes cpu cycles disproportionately to the input size. This type of vulnerability falls under ATT&CK technique T1499.004 (Endpoint Denial of Service) and can be classified as a resource exhaustion attack pattern. Organizations running affected versions of Gattaca Server should implement immediate mitigations including input filtering, request rate limiting, and proper parameter validation to prevent malicious actors from exploiting this weakness and causing system downtime.
The vulnerability highlights the importance of robust input validation in web applications and server-side processing components. Given the age of this vulnerability and the specific version affected, it represents a typical flaw that would have been addressed through proper security testing and input sanitization practices. Modern security frameworks would typically include automatic detection of such malformed inputs and implementation of resource limits to prevent excessive cpu consumption. The affected server configuration demonstrates how legacy systems often contain these types of vulnerabilities due to insufficient security hardening and lack of proper input validation mechanisms that would be standard in contemporary web application security practices.