CVE-2005-1661 in Jeuce Personal Web Server
Summary
by MITRE
Jeuce Personal Webserver 2.13 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (server crash) via a long GET request, possibly triggering a buffer overflow.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/26/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2005-1661 affects Jeuce Personal Webserver version 2.13, representing a critical security flaw that enables remote attackers to execute denial of service attacks against affected systems. This vulnerability specifically manifests when the web server processes excessively long GET requests, creating a condition that can lead to complete server termination and unavailability of services. The flaw resides in the server's insufficient input validation mechanisms, particularly within the handling of HTTP GET parameters that are processed without adequate bounds checking or length limitations.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability demonstrates a classic buffer overflow condition that occurs when the web server attempts to store incoming GET request data into a fixed-size memory buffer without proper validation of the input length. When an attacker submits a GET request containing an excessive number of characters, the server's memory management fails to handle this overflow gracefully, causing the application to crash and terminate its operations. This behavior aligns with CWE-121, which describes heap-based buffer overflow conditions, and CWE-122, which covers stack-based buffer overflow scenarios. The vulnerability operates at the application layer of the network stack, making it particularly dangerous as it requires no authentication or privileged access to exploit, allowing any remote attacker to potentially disrupt services.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service interruption, as it represents a fundamental weakness in the web server's input handling capabilities that could be exploited in coordinated attacks or as part of broader penetration testing activities. Organizations relying on Jeuce Personal Webserver 2.13 for hosting web applications or services face significant risk of service disruption, potentially leading to business continuity issues and reputational damage. The vulnerability's exploitation does not require sophisticated techniques or specialized tools, making it accessible to attackers with basic network knowledge and creating a substantial risk for organizations that have not implemented proper input validation or server hardening measures. This type of vulnerability is categorized under the ATT&CK framework as part of the "Command and Control" techniques, specifically under "Application Layer Protocol" where adversaries can manipulate server behavior through crafted network requests.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate implementation of input validation measures and server configuration updates to prevent the processing of excessively long GET requests. System administrators should consider implementing rate limiting mechanisms and request length restrictions within the web server configuration to prevent buffer overflow conditions. The most effective long-term solution involves upgrading to a newer version of the web server software that has proper input validation and memory management controls, or migrating to more robust and actively maintained web server solutions. Additionally, network-level firewalls and intrusion detection systems can be configured to monitor and block suspicious GET requests that exceed predetermined length thresholds, providing an additional layer of defense against exploitation attempts. Organizations should also implement regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning to identify similar weaknesses in their web server configurations and ensure that all systems maintain current security patches and updates.