CVE-2004-2662 in 04WebServer
Summary
by MITRE
Soft3304 04WebServer before 1.41 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (resource consumption or crash) via certain data related to OpenSSL, which causes a thread to terminate but continue to hold resources.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/30/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2004-2662 affects Soft3304 04WebServer version 1.41 and earlier, presenting a significant denial of service risk that stems from improper resource management during OpenSSL data processing. This flaw represents a classic resource leak scenario where the web server's thread handling mechanism fails to properly release system resources even after a thread terminates unexpectedly. The vulnerability specifically manifests when the server processes certain OpenSSL-related data, triggering a condition where threads crash or terminate abruptly while maintaining locks or memory allocations that should be freed. This improper resource cleanup creates a persistent state where system resources remain occupied and inaccessible to other legitimate requests, ultimately leading to service degradation or complete system unavailability.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability demonstrates a failure in the server's thread lifecycle management and resource deallocation protocols. When OpenSSL data is processed, the 04WebServer application encounters malformed or unexpected input that causes threads to exit prematurely without executing proper cleanup routines. This behavior creates a resource consumption issue where memory segments, file handles, or network connections remain allocated to terminated threads, preventing the system from properly recycling these resources for subsequent requests. The flaw operates at the intersection of application-level thread management and system resource allocation, making it particularly dangerous in high-traffic environments where resource exhaustion can occur rapidly. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-404, which specifically addresses improper resource release or cleanup, and represents a common pattern in web server implementations where exception handling fails to account for all possible termination scenarios.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability enables remote attackers to execute denial of service attacks with relatively minimal effort and technical expertise. An attacker can craft specific OpenSSL-related requests that trigger the problematic code path, causing the server to consume increasing amounts of system resources until the service becomes unavailable to legitimate users. The resource consumption pattern typically begins with individual thread failures and escalates to complete system resource exhaustion, potentially requiring system restarts to restore normal operations. This vulnerability directly impacts the availability aspect of the CIA triad and can be leveraged in distributed denial of service scenarios where multiple concurrent connections trigger the resource leak condition. The attack vector is particularly concerning because it requires no authentication or privileged access, making it accessible to any remote user capable of connecting to the vulnerable web server.
The mitigation strategy for CVE-2004-2662 centers on upgrading to Soft3304 04WebServer version 1.41 or later, which contains the necessary fixes to properly handle thread termination and resource cleanup. Organizations should implement immediate patch management procedures to address this vulnerability, as the resource leak condition can be exploited to cause significant service disruption. Additionally, system administrators should monitor resource utilization patterns and implement automated alerting for unusual memory or thread consumption that could indicate exploitation attempts. Network-level defenses such as rate limiting and connection pooling can provide additional protection by limiting the impact of resource exhaustion attacks. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of proper exception handling in server applications and demonstrates the necessity of thorough testing for edge cases involving cryptographic libraries like OpenSSL. Organizations should consider implementing intrusion detection systems that can identify patterns consistent with this specific denial of service attack pattern, as outlined in the attack techniques catalog under the MITRE ATT&CK framework for denial of service operations.