CVE-2005-2852 in NetWare
Summary
by MITRE
Unknown vulnerability in CIFS.NLM in Novell Netware 6.5 SP2 and SP3, 5.1, and 6.0 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (ABEND) via an incorrect password length, as exploited by the "worm.rbot.ccc" worm.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/07/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2005-2852 represents a critical denial of service weakness within the CIFS.NLM component of Novell Netware operating systems. This flaw specifically affects versions 6.5 SP2 and SP3, 5.1, and 6.0, creating an exploitable condition that can be leveraged by remote attackers to trigger system crashes. The vulnerability manifests through improper handling of authentication requests when an incorrect password length is submitted during the CIFS authentication process, leading to system instability and complete service interruption.
The technical mechanism behind this vulnerability involves the CIFS.NLM module's insufficient input validation procedures when processing password length parameters. When a malformed password with an incorrect length is transmitted to the CIFS service, the system fails to properly sanitize or reject the input, causing a buffer overflow or memory corruption condition that ultimately results in an application abend. This behavior aligns with CWE-122, which describes buffer overflow conditions in heap-based memory management, and CWE-20, which encompasses improper input validation vulnerabilities that can lead to system instability. The exploitation technique employed by the "worm.rbot.ccc" demonstrates how attackers can systematically target this weakness to propagate across networks, creating a cascading denial of service scenario.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption, as it enables malicious actors to create widespread network instability and system downtime across affected Novell Netware installations. The worm.rbot.ccc specifically exploits this weakness to automatically scan for vulnerable systems and propagate its infection, demonstrating the real-world implications of such a vulnerability in networked environments. Organizations relying on Novell Netware for file sharing and network services face significant risk of operational disruption, as the vulnerability can be exploited without requiring authentication credentials or advanced technical knowledge. This makes it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where network availability is critical for business operations.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2005-2852 should prioritize immediate implementation of vendor-supplied patches and updates for affected Novell Netware versions. Network administrators must also implement proper access controls and authentication mechanisms to limit exposure to unauthorized network access attempts. The use of network segmentation and firewall rules can help prevent automated scanning and exploitation attempts targeting this specific vulnerability. Additionally, monitoring systems should be configured to detect unusual authentication patterns and potential exploitation attempts. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving denial of service and credential access, specifically targeting the T1499.004 sub-technique for network denial of service and T1110 for credential access. Organizations should also consider implementing intrusion detection systems that can identify the specific exploitation patterns associated with this vulnerability to provide early warning of potential attacks.