CVE-2005-2085 in Inframail Advantage
Summary
by MITRE
Buffer overflow in Inframail Advantage Server Edition 6.0 through 6.7 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (process crash) via a long (1) SMTP FROM field or possibly (2) FTP NLST command.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/02/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2005-2085 represents a critical buffer overflow condition affecting Inframail Advantage Server Edition versions 6.0 through 6.7. This flaw resides in the server's handling of network protocol commands and demonstrates a classic security weakness where insufficient input validation leads to memory corruption. The vulnerability specifically impacts two primary communication protocols: Simple Mail Transfer Protocol and File Transfer Protocol, making it particularly dangerous in environments where email and file transfer services are simultaneously exposed to untrusted network traffic.
The technical implementation of this buffer overflow occurs when the server processes maliciously crafted input in either the SMTP FROM field or the FTP NLST command. In the SMTP context, attackers can exploit this by sending a specially crafted email address in the FROM header that exceeds the allocated buffer size, while in the FTP context, the NLST command can trigger similar memory corruption when processing overly long directory listing requests. This type of vulnerability maps directly to CWE-121, which describes heap-based buffer overflow conditions, and represents a fundamental failure in input sanitization and memory management practices within the application's protocol handling modules.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption, as it enables remote attackers to cause complete process crashes and system instability. When exploited successfully, the buffer overflow corrupts memory structures within the mail server process, leading to immediate termination of the service and potential system crashes that can affect availability of critical email infrastructure. This denial of service condition can be particularly damaging in enterprise environments where email systems form the backbone of business communication, potentially disrupting operations for extended periods while system administrators work to restore services and apply patches.
From a threat modeling perspective, this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.004 which describes network denial of service attacks, and demonstrates how seemingly minor protocol implementation flaws can be leveraged for significant operational impact. The exploitability of this vulnerability is relatively straightforward, requiring only basic network reconnaissance to identify affected systems and simple crafting of malicious protocol commands. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including patching to the latest available versions of Inframail Advantage Server, implementing network segmentation to limit exposure of vulnerable systems, and deploying intrusion detection systems to monitor for suspicious protocol traffic patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts.
The broader implications of this vulnerability highlight the importance of proper input validation and memory safety practices in server applications, particularly those handling network communications. This case study exemplifies why security-by-design principles are essential, emphasizing the need for comprehensive testing including fuzzing and boundary condition testing of protocol handlers. Organizations should also consider implementing application-level firewalls and input filtering mechanisms as additional defensive layers to protect against similar vulnerabilities in legacy systems that may not receive regular security updates.