CVE-2007-1005 in eTrust Intrusion Detection
Summary
by MITRE
Heap-based buffer overflow in SW3eng.exe in the eID Engine service in CA (formerly Computer Associates) eTrust Intrusion Detection 3.0.5.57 and earlier allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) via a long key length value to the remote administration port (9191/tcp).
If you want to get best quality of vulnerability data, you may have to visit VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/16/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2007-1005 represents a critical heap-based buffer overflow flaw within the eID Engine service component of CA eTrust Intrusion Detection software version 3.0.5.57 and earlier. This issue manifests in the SW3eng.exe executable which serves as the core engine for the eTrust intrusion detection system. The vulnerability specifically targets the remote administration port operating on TCP/9191, making it exploitable over network connections without requiring local system access. The flaw arises from inadequate input validation when processing key length values sent to the administration interface, creating a condition where maliciously crafted data can exceed allocated memory boundaries and corrupt adjacent heap memory regions.
From a technical perspective, this heap-based buffer overflow occurs when the software fails to properly validate the length of key parameters received through the remote administration interface. The vulnerability stems from improper bounds checking in the memory allocation and data handling routines within the eID Engine service. When an attacker sends a specially crafted packet containing an excessively long key length value, the application attempts to write data beyond the allocated heap buffer space, resulting in memory corruption that ultimately leads to application crash. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-121 heap-based buffer overflow category and represents a classic example of unsafe memory manipulation practices that violate fundamental security principles. The attack vector is particularly concerning as it requires no authentication or privileged access, making it a remote code execution risk that could be leveraged for denial of service attacks.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption to potentially compromise the entire intrusion detection infrastructure. When exploited, the buffer overflow causes the SW3eng.exe process to crash and restart, leading to temporary loss of network monitoring capabilities that organizations rely upon for security incident detection. This denial of service condition can persist until manual intervention occurs, creating windows of vulnerability where malicious activity may go undetected. Organizations utilizing eTrust Intrusion Detection systems in production environments face significant risk as attackers could repeatedly exploit this weakness to maintain persistent availability issues. The vulnerability affects the core functionality of the system since the eID Engine service is responsible for processing and analyzing intrusion detection events, meaning that exploitation could result in complete loss of security monitoring capabilities. Furthermore, the remote nature of the attack means that adversaries could target these systems from anywhere on the network, making the vulnerability particularly dangerous for organizations with exposed administrative interfaces.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2007-1005 should prioritize immediate software updates from CA to version 3.0.5.58 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address the heap overflow condition. Network segmentation and access control measures should be implemented to restrict access to TCP/9191 port, limiting exposure to trusted administrative networks only. Organizations should also consider implementing network monitoring to detect unusual traffic patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper input validation and memory management practices, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1489 which covers denial of service attacks. Security teams should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify other potential buffer overflow conditions within legacy systems and ensure proper application hardening measures are in place. Additionally, implementing intrusion detection rules specifically targeting this vulnerability can provide early warning capabilities, while regular security audits should verify that similar memory corruption vulnerabilities do not exist in other components of the security infrastructure. The incident underscores the critical need for maintaining up-to-date security patches and proper network architecture design to prevent unauthorized access to critical system administration interfaces.