CVE-2004-2590 in Cute PHP Library
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in meindlSOFT Cute PHP Library (aka cphplib) 0.46 has unknown impact and attack vectors, related to regular expressions.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/19/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2004-2590 resides within the meindlSOFT Cute PHP Library version 0.46, a PHP-based utility library that was widely used for various web development tasks. This particular flaw manifests in the library's handling of regular expressions, which forms a critical component of many web applications for input validation, data parsing, and pattern matching operations. The unspecified nature of the vulnerability means that the exact technical implementation details and specific attack surface remain unclear, though the classification as a regular expression related issue suggests potential for denial of service or arbitrary code execution scenarios. The library's usage in web applications makes this vulnerability particularly concerning as regular expressions are fundamental to many security controls and data processing functions.
The technical flaw within cphplib 0.46 likely involves improper handling of regular expression patterns that could lead to catastrophic backtracking or resource exhaustion when processing maliciously crafted input data. Regular expression engines are susceptible to performance degradation when faced with certain input patterns that cause exponential backtracking behavior, potentially leading to denial of service conditions where system resources become consumed entirely. This vulnerability type aligns with common CWE classifications related to improper input validation and resource management issues in regular expression processing. The attack vectors would typically involve sending specially crafted input data that triggers the vulnerable regular expression patterns within the library, potentially causing application crashes, system resource exhaustion, or in some cases, remote code execution depending on the specific implementation details.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability affects any web application that utilizes cphplib 0.46, particularly those that process user input through regular expression based validation or parsing functions. The potential consequences range from service disruption through denial of service conditions to more severe impacts including unauthorized access or data compromise if the vulnerability allows for code execution. The wide adoption of this library in web applications means that organizations using vulnerable versions could experience significant operational disruption, especially during peak usage periods when resource exhaustion attacks could be particularly effective. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond immediate service availability as it may also compromise the integrity of input validation mechanisms that applications rely upon for security.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2004-2590 should prioritize immediate library version updates to the latest available secure release or complete removal from affected applications. Organizations should conduct comprehensive inventory assessments to identify all systems utilizing cphplib 0.46 and implement patch management procedures to address the vulnerability. Input validation should be strengthened through additional sanitization measures and alternative regular expression implementations that do not exhibit the problematic backtracking behavior. Network monitoring should be enhanced to detect potential exploitation attempts through unusual resource consumption patterns or malformed input traffic. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of keeping third-party libraries updated and maintaining secure coding practices for regular expression usage, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for execution through scripting and T1499.004 for network denial of service attacks. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls and input validation controls that can detect and block malicious regular expression patterns before they reach the vulnerable library components.