CVE-2006-2087 in Groupmax World Wide Web
Summary
by MITRE
The Gmax Mail client in Hitachi Groupmax before 20060426 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (application hang or erroneous behavior) via an attachment with an MS-DOS device filename.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/08/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2006-2087 affects the Gmax Mail client component within Hitachi Groupmax software suite, specifically targeting versions prior to the 20060426 release. This security flaw represents a classic denial of service vulnerability that exploits the client's handling of specially crafted email attachments. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it allows remote attackers to disrupt normal application functionality without requiring any privileged access or authentication credentials, making it an attractive target for malicious actors seeking to compromise system availability.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the improper validation and processing of MS-DOS device filenames within email attachments. MS-DOS device filenames such as CON, PRN, AUX, NUL, and COM1 through COM9 are special reserved names that the operating system uses to reference hardware devices and system resources. When the Gmax Mail client encounters an attachment with one of these device names, it fails to properly sanitize the input and instead attempts to process these special filenames as regular file names. This leads to the application entering an erroneous state where it either hangs indefinitely or exhibits unpredictable behavior due to attempting to access non-existent or system-critical resources.
This vulnerability directly maps to CWE-174, which describes the weakness of insufficient input sanitization for device names, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.004 for denial of service attacks. The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple application disruption, as it can potentially cause cascading effects within larger network environments where email clients serve as critical communication channels. When exploited, the vulnerability can render the affected email client unusable for legitimate users, effectively creating a denial of service condition that prevents normal business operations from continuing.
The attack vector for this vulnerability is particularly insidious because it requires no specialized knowledge or privileged access from the attacker. Simply sending an email with an attachment named using one of the MS-DOS device filename conventions is sufficient to trigger the vulnerability. This makes the attack surface extremely broad and the exploitation relatively simple, as the vulnerability can be triggered through standard email communication channels without requiring any custom attack tools or deep technical expertise.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on immediate patch deployment for all affected Hitachi Groupmax installations, as well as implementing email filtering rules that block attachments with device name patterns. Organizations should also consider implementing email content filtering solutions that can detect and quarantine suspicious filename patterns before they reach end-user mail clients. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper input validation and sanitization in client-side applications, as well as the critical need for regular security updates and vulnerability management processes. Network administrators should also consider implementing monitoring solutions to detect unusual application behavior that might indicate exploitation attempts, while maintaining detailed logs of email traffic for forensic analysis purposes.