CVE-2006-6379 in Brightstor Arcserve Backup
Summary
by MITRE
Buffer overflow in the BrightStor Backup Discovery Service in multiple CA products, including ARCserve Backup r11.5 SP1 and earlier, ARCserve Backup 9.01 up to 11.1, Enterprise Backup 10.5, and CA Server Protection Suite r2, allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/12/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2006-6379 represents a critical buffer overflow flaw within the BrightStor Backup Discovery Service component of several CA Technologies backup and protection products. This vulnerability affects a range of enterprise backup solutions including ARCserve Backup versions up to r11.5 SP1, ARCserve Backup 9.01 through 11.1, Enterprise Backup 10.5, and CA Server Protection Suite r2. The discovery service operates as a network-facing component responsible for identifying and cataloging backup environments, making it a prime target for remote exploitation. The buffer overflow occurs when the service processes malformed input data, specifically within the handling of network requests that contain oversized or improperly formatted data structures.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and memory management within the BrightStor Discovery Service daemon. When remote attackers send specially crafted network packets to the affected service, the application fails to properly bounds-check incoming data before copying it into fixed-size memory buffers. This classic buffer overflow condition allows attackers to overwrite adjacent memory locations, potentially corrupting program execution flow and enabling arbitrary code execution. The vulnerability's remote exploitability means that attackers can leverage this flaw without requiring local system access, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where backup services are often exposed to network traffic.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risk to organizations relying on CA backup solutions, as successful exploitation could result in complete system compromise and unauthorized access to critical backup data. The attack surface extends beyond individual systems to encompass entire backup infrastructures, potentially allowing attackers to gain access to backup repositories and sensitive organizational data. The vulnerability's presence in multiple product versions spanning several years indicates a persistent flaw in the software design that affected numerous enterprise environments. Organizations utilizing these backup solutions face potential data breaches, system downtime, and regulatory compliance violations if the vulnerability remains unpatched.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2006-6379 should prioritize immediate patch application from CA Technologies, as the vendor released security updates specifically addressing this buffer overflow condition. Network segmentation and firewall rules should be implemented to restrict access to the BrightStor Discovery Service ports, limiting exposure to unauthorized network traffic. The implementation of intrusion detection systems can help identify suspicious network activity targeting the affected service. Additionally, organizations should conduct thorough vulnerability assessments to identify all affected systems and ensure proper patch management processes are in place. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, which describes heap-based buffer overflow conditions, and maps to attack techniques in the ATT&CK framework under T1059 for command and control execution. Regular security monitoring and network traffic analysis should be employed to detect potential exploitation attempts, while maintaining updated security baselines and conducting periodic penetration testing to validate the effectiveness of implemented controls.