CVE-2005-4335 in ProjectForum
Summary
by MITRE
ProjectForum 4.7.0 and earlier allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) via a crafted pageid parameter to admin/versions.html.
If you want to get best quality of vulnerability data, you may have to visit VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/15/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2005-4335 affects ProjectForum version 4.7.0 and earlier, representing a significant security flaw that enables remote attackers to execute denial of service attacks against affected systems. This vulnerability specifically targets the administrative interface of the application, namely the admin/versions.html endpoint, where improper input validation creates an exploitable condition that can crash the application and render it unavailable to legitimate users. The flaw stems from the application's insufficient handling of the pageid parameter, which when manipulated with crafted malicious input can trigger unexpected behavior leading to system instability and complete service interruption.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-129, which describes improper validation of array index values, and represents a classic buffer overflow or input validation issue that can be exploited through crafted parameters. When the application processes the malicious pageid parameter, it fails to properly sanitize or validate the input before using it in internal operations, causing the system to attempt operations on invalid memory locations or execute unexpected code paths that result in application termination. This type of vulnerability falls under the attack pattern category described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework as part of the privilege escalation and denial of service tactics, where attackers can leverage parameter manipulation to disrupt service availability.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption as it can affect the entire administrative functionality of the ProjectForum application, potentially compromising the availability of critical system information and user management capabilities. Organizations relying on this software for content management and forum operations would face significant business disruption when the application crashes, especially during peak usage periods or critical administrative tasks. The remote nature of the attack means that adversaries do not require physical access or local system credentials to exploit the vulnerability, making it particularly dangerous as it can be triggered from any network location without authentication.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should include immediate application updates to versions that address the input validation flaw, implementation of proper parameter sanitization at the application level, and deployment of network-based protections such as web application firewalls that can detect and block malicious parameter manipulation attempts. System administrators should also implement monitoring solutions to detect unusual patterns in application behavior that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the importance of input validation and proper error handling in web applications, particularly within administrative interfaces where the potential for system disruption is significantly higher than in standard user-facing components. Organizations should conduct thorough security assessments of their legacy applications to identify similar vulnerabilities that may exist in other components of their infrastructure.