CVE-2004-2726 in MailEnable
Summary
by MITRE
HTTPMail service in MailEnable Professional 1.18 does not properly handle arguments to the Authorization header, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (null dereference and application crash). NOTE: This is a different vulnerability than CVE-2005-1348.
If you want to get best quality of vulnerability data, you may have to visit VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/13/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2004-2726 affects the HTTPMail service component of MailEnable Professional version 1.18, representing a critical denial of service flaw that stems from improper handling of Authorization header arguments. This vulnerability specifically targets the web-based email service functionality that allows users to access their mailboxes through HTTP protocols, making it particularly concerning for organizations that rely on webmail services for email access. The flaw manifests when the service processes malformed or improperly formatted Authorization header values, creating a scenario where the application fails to validate input parameters correctly before attempting to process them.
The technical mechanism behind this vulnerability involves a null dereference condition that occurs during the parsing of Authorization header arguments within the HTTPMail service. When remote attackers submit specially crafted Authorization headers containing malformed parameters or unexpected values, the service attempts to access memory locations that have not been properly initialized or allocated, resulting in a null pointer dereference. This memory access violation causes the application process to crash immediately, leading to a complete denial of service for legitimate users attempting to access their email accounts through the affected webmail interface. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and requires no authentication to exploit, making it particularly dangerous as it can be triggered by any remote attacker with network access to the affected service.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates significant disruption for email services that depend on MailEnable Professional 1.18, as it can be exploited to render the entire webmail service unavailable. Organizations may experience complete email access outages for their users, potentially affecting business operations and communication workflows. The vulnerability's exploitation is straightforward and does not require sophisticated techniques, meaning that even basic attackers can leverage this flaw to cause service interruptions. The impact extends beyond simple availability issues as the application crash can potentially lead to log file corruption or other secondary effects that complicate system recovery and forensic analysis.
The security implications of CVE-2004-2726 align with CWE-476, which describes NULL Pointer Dereference conditions in software systems, and can be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1499.004 for network denial of service attacks. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the vendor-provided patches, configuring firewall rules to restrict access to the vulnerable HTTPMail service, and implementing monitoring systems to detect anomalous Authorization header patterns. Additionally, network segmentation strategies should be employed to limit exposure of the vulnerable service to external networks, while regular security assessments should be conducted to identify similar input validation vulnerabilities in other components of the email infrastructure. The vulnerability underscores the importance of proper input validation and error handling in web applications, particularly those handling authentication mechanisms, as these components often become primary targets for attackers seeking to disrupt service availability.