CVE-2005-4699 in TellMe
Summary
by MITRE
Argument injection vulnerability in TellMe 1.2 and earlier allows remote attackers to modify command line arguments for the Whois program and obtain sensitive information via "--" style options in the q_Host parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/16/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2005-4699 represents a critical argument injection flaw within TellMe version 1.2 and earlier implementations. This security weakness specifically targets the handling of command line arguments for the Whois program, creating a pathway for remote attackers to manipulate system operations through carefully crafted input parameters. The vulnerability manifests when the q_Host parameter contains "--" style options that are subsequently passed to the Whois command line interface without proper sanitization or validation.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability falls under the category of command injection attacks as defined by CWE-77 and CWE-88 within the Common Weakness Enumeration framework. Attackers can leverage this flaw by inserting malicious command line options prefixed with double dashes, which are typically used to indicate command line switches in Unix-like systems and various network utilities. When the TellMe application processes these parameters without adequate input validation, the injected arguments become part of the command execution chain, potentially allowing unauthorized access to system information and resources that should otherwise remain protected.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it enables attackers to manipulate the Whois program's behavior in ways that could compromise system integrity and confidentiality. By injecting specific argument patterns, an attacker can potentially extract sensitive data about network infrastructure, modify query parameters to obtain unauthorized information, or even execute unintended commands through the Whois utility. This type of attack vector aligns with techniques documented in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the T1059.001 technique for command and scripting interpreter, specifically targeting remote command execution through application interfaces.
The vulnerability's remote nature makes it particularly dangerous as it does not require physical access to the target system or privileged user accounts to exploit. The attack can be launched from any location with network connectivity to the vulnerable TellMe service, making it a significant concern for organizations that rely on this software for network information services. Security professionals should consider this vulnerability as part of a broader attack surface analysis, particularly when evaluating the security posture of network infrastructure services that depend on external utilities like Whois for their operations. The flaw demonstrates the critical importance of input validation and proper parameter sanitization in preventing argument injection attacks, especially when dealing with system utilities that have complex command line interfaces. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including input filtering, parameter validation, and application updates to address this vulnerability before it can be exploited in real-world scenarios.