CVE-2005-3829 in KnowledgeBuilder
Summary
by MITRE
index.php in ActiveCampaign KnowledgeBuilder 2.4 and earlier allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (CPU consumption) via an invalid category parameter, which causes a large number of SQL queries to be processed.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/13/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2005-3829 affects ActiveCampaign KnowledgeBuilder version 2.4 and earlier, representing a significant security flaw that enables remote attackers to execute denial of service attacks through excessive cpu consumption. This issue manifests when the index.php script processes an invalid category parameter, creating a condition where the application fails to properly validate input data before executing database operations. The flaw resides in the application's handling of user-supplied parameters without adequate sanitization or bounds checking mechanisms, allowing malicious actors to craft specific requests that trigger inefficient database query processing.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability demonstrates a classic case of improper input validation leading to resource exhaustion. When an attacker submits an invalid category parameter, the KnowledgeBuilder application does not adequately filter or sanitize this input before using it in sql query construction. This results in the system generating and executing a large number of inefficient sql queries that consume substantial cpu cycles and memory resources. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and can be exploited remotely without requiring authentication or privileged access, making it particularly dangerous in production environments where system resources are limited.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates a severe availability threat that can effectively disable the targeted system. The excessive cpu consumption caused by the malformed category parameter can lead to system slowdowns, application unresponsiveness, and potentially complete system outages. Attackers can leverage this weakness to perform sustained denial of service attacks that degrade service quality and availability for legitimate users. The vulnerability also represents a potential vector for amplification attacks where a single request can generate multiple database operations, exponentially increasing the resource consumption impact. According to the cwes taxonomy, this corresponds to weakness type 20 - improper input validation, which is classified under the broader category of input validation flaws that can lead to resource exhaustion attacks.
The attack surface for this vulnerability extends across all systems running ActiveCampaign KnowledgeBuilder 2.4 or earlier versions, particularly those exposed to the internet or accessible to untrusted users. Organizations utilizing this software without proper input validation controls or rate limiting mechanisms face heightened risk of exploitation. The vulnerability aligns with several tactics described in the attack pattern taxonomy, specifically those related to resource exhaustion and denial of service attacks that target application performance. Security practitioners should consider this vulnerability as part of broader application security assessments, particularly when evaluating the robustness of input handling and database query optimization practices.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2005-3829 should prioritize immediate patching of affected systems to the latest available version of ActiveCampaign KnowledgeBuilder. Organizations should implement proper input validation controls that sanitize all user-supplied parameters before processing, including implementing strict parameter type checking and length limitations for category fields. Network-level protections such as rate limiting and access controls can help reduce the impact of potential attacks by limiting the number of requests that can be processed within a given timeframe. Additionally, implementing database query monitoring and alerting systems can help detect unusual query patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. Regular security assessments and code reviews should focus on identifying similar input validation weaknesses in other application components to prevent analogous vulnerabilities from being present in the broader system infrastructure.