CVE-2006-0342 in MailSite
Summary
by MITRE
RockLiffe MailSite HTTP Mail management agent (httpma) 7.0.3.1 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (CPU consumption and crash) via a malformed query string containing special characters such as "|".
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/07/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2006-0342 affects RockLiffe MailSite HTTP Mail management agent version 7.0.3.1, representing a significant security flaw that enables remote attackers to execute denial of service attacks against the system. This vulnerability specifically targets the httpma component within the MailSite suite, which serves as the primary interface for managing email services through HTTP protocols. The flaw manifests when the system processes malformed query strings containing special characters, particularly the pipe character "|", which triggers abnormal behavior in the application's input handling mechanisms. This issue falls under the category of improper input validation and represents a classic example of how malformed data can disrupt system operations and compromise service availability.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient sanitization and validation of HTTP query parameters within the MailSite management agent. When the httpma component receives a request containing a specially crafted query string with the pipe character or similar special characters, the application fails to properly parse or handle these inputs, leading to resource exhaustion and eventual system instability. The pipe character in particular can cause the application to enter infinite loops or consume excessive CPU cycles during parsing operations, as the system attempts to process the malformed input in ways that were not anticipated during development. This type of vulnerability aligns with CWE-20, which categorizes improper input validation as a fundamental weakness in software design, and can be classified as a resource exhaustion attack that consumes system resources to prevent legitimate operations.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption, as it can lead to complete system crashes and render email services unavailable to legitimate users. Attackers can exploit this weakness to consume significant CPU resources, causing the MailSite management agent to become unresponsive or crash entirely, which results in denial of service for email management functions. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it requires no authentication to exploit, making it accessible to any remote attacker who can send HTTP requests to the affected system. This characteristic places the vulnerability in the ATT&CK framework under the technique T1499.004 for network denial of service, and more specifically relates to T1566 for initial access through malicious web content or services. Organizations using this version of MailSite face the risk of extended service outages that can affect business operations and email communication infrastructure.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on immediate patch application, as RockLiffe would have released updates addressing the input validation issues in subsequent versions of the MailSite suite. System administrators should implement network-level filtering to restrict access to the httpma component and monitor for suspicious query string patterns that could indicate exploitation attempts. Additionally, input validation should be enhanced at multiple layers including web application firewalls and application-level controls to sanitize all query parameters before processing. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of defensive programming practices and proper error handling in network services, as outlined in security standards such as the OWASP Top Ten and NIST guidelines for secure coding practices. Organizations should also consider implementing intrusion detection systems to monitor for abnormal CPU usage patterns that might indicate exploitation of this and similar resource exhaustion vulnerabilities.