CVE-2005-4813 in Crystal Enterprise Xi
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in Report Application Server (Crystalras.exe) before 11.0.0.1370, as used in Business Objects Crystal Reports XI, Crystal Reports Server XI, and BusinessObjects Enterprise XI, allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (application hang) via certain network traffic, possibly involving multiple simultaneous TCP connections.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/05/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2005-4813 represents a significant denial of service weakness within the Report Application Server component of SAP BusinessObjects Crystal Reports suite. This flaw specifically affects versions of Crystalras.exe prior to 11.0.0.1370 and impacts multiple products including Crystal Reports XI, Crystal Reports Server XI, and BusinessObjects Enterprise XI. The vulnerability manifests through network-based attacks that exploit the server's handling of incoming TCP connections, creating a condition where legitimate service operations become disrupted through application hang states.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and connection handling mechanisms within the Crystalras.exe process. When the server receives specially crafted network traffic involving multiple simultaneous TCP connections, the application fails to properly manage these connection requests, leading to resource exhaustion or thread blocking conditions that result in application hang states. This behavior aligns with CWE-400, which categorizes unchecked resource consumption as a common weakness in software systems, and specifically relates to the improper handling of network connections in server applications.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a substantial risk to enterprise environments that rely on Crystal Reports for business intelligence and reporting operations. The denial of service condition can effectively render reporting services unavailable, impacting business operations that depend on timely access to critical data and reports. Attackers can exploit this weakness remotely without requiring authentication, making it particularly dangerous in networked environments where the server is accessible to external networks. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple service disruption as it can affect business continuity and operational efficiency, particularly in mission-critical applications where reporting systems are integral to decision-making processes.
The exploitation of this vulnerability follows patterns consistent with ATT&CK technique T1499.004, which involves network denial of service attacks targeting application availability. Organizations should implement comprehensive network segmentation to limit access to the affected server components, deploy intrusion detection systems to monitor for suspicious TCP connection patterns, and ensure timely patch management for all BusinessObjects components. The recommended mitigation strategy includes upgrading to version 11.0.0.1370 or later, which contains fixes for the connection handling logic that prevents the application hang conditions. Additionally, implementing connection rate limiting and monitoring for unusual TCP connection spikes can provide early detection of potential exploitation attempts while maintaining operational resilience against this specific class of denial of service attacks.