CVE-2005-2791 in BFCC
Summary
by MITRE
BFCommand & Control Server Manager BFCC 1.22_A and earlier, and BFVCC 2.14_B and earlier, allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (refused new connections) via a series of connections and disconnections without sending the login command.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/26/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2005-2791 affects BFCommand & Control Server Manager BFCC versions 1.22_A and earlier, as well as BFVCC versions 2.14_B and earlier. This represents a classic denial of service flaw that exploits the protocol handling mechanisms of these specific server applications. The vulnerability stems from inadequate connection state management within the software's network handling logic, where the system fails to properly validate or terminate connection sequences that do not follow the expected authentication workflow. This flaw specifically targets the login command sequence that should precede legitimate connection establishment, creating a window where malicious actors can exploit the system's failure to properly manage connection lifecycle events.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves a sequence of connection and disconnection operations that bypass the required authentication process. Attackers can establish multiple connections to the server, immediately disconnect without sending the login command, and repeat this pattern to exhaust the system's connection handling resources. This behavior directly impacts the server's ability to accept new legitimate connections, effectively creating a denial of service condition. The flaw demonstrates poor resource management and lack of proper connection throttling mechanisms, allowing an attacker to consume system resources through repeated connection attempts without proper authentication. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and can be classified under CWE-400 as an unspecified resource management error, specifically involving connection handling and resource exhaustion.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates a significant risk for systems relying on these BFCommand & Control applications for network management or command and control operations. Organizations using these versions may experience complete service unavailability when under attack, as legitimate users cannot establish new connections to the server. The impact extends beyond simple service disruption to potentially compromise operational continuity for critical network infrastructure. The vulnerability's exploitability is relatively low in terms of technical complexity, requiring only basic network connectivity and connection management capabilities to execute successfully. This makes it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited by attackers with minimal technical expertise, potentially leading to widespread service disruption across networks that depend on these specific server implementations.
The attack pattern aligns with techniques described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the T1499 category for network denial of service, specifically targeting the availability aspect of the CIA triad. This vulnerability demonstrates a classic resource exhaustion attack vector that can be executed remotely without requiring elevated privileges or complex exploitation techniques. Mitigation strategies should focus on implementing proper connection rate limiting, connection timeout mechanisms, and enforcing mandatory authentication before accepting any connection requests. System administrators should consider implementing connection pooling limits, connection tracking with automatic cleanup of incomplete sessions, and monitoring for abnormal connection patterns that could indicate this attack. The recommended approach involves updating to patched versions of the software, implementing network-level firewalls to limit connection attempts, and establishing connection logging and alerting mechanisms to detect potential exploitation attempts. Additionally, implementing proper input validation and connection state management within the application code would address the root cause of this vulnerability and prevent similar issues from occurring in future deployments.