CVE-2007-1047 in DCC
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in Distributed Checksum Clearinghouse (DCC) before 1.3.51 allows remote attackers to delete or add hosts in /var/dcc/maps.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/20/2018
The Distributed Checksum Clearinghouse represents a critical infrastructure component in email security systems, designed to maintain distributed databases of known spam sources and malicious patterns through a network of cooperating servers. This system operates by collecting checksums of suspicious email content and maintaining maps of problematic hosts to help prevent spam distribution. The vulnerability in question affects versions prior to 1.3.51 and stems from inadequate access control mechanisms within the DCC's map management functionality, creating a significant security weakness that could be exploited by remote adversaries. The flaw specifically targets the /var/dcc/maps directory which serves as the primary storage location for host information and reputation data used by the DCC network.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves a lack of proper authentication and authorization checks when processing remote requests to modify the host maps. Attackers can exploit this weakness to perform unauthorized operations including adding malicious hosts to the maps or deleting legitimate hosts from the database, effectively compromising the integrity of the distributed reputation system. This issue represents a classic privilege escalation vulnerability where remote unauthenticated users can manipulate critical system data that should only be modifiable by authorized administrators. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and can be triggered through network-based attacks without requiring any local system access or credentials.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data manipulation to potentially compromise the entire email security infrastructure that relies on DCC's reputation data. When attackers can modify host maps, they can either flood legitimate hosts with false negative indicators or remove protective entries, creating a scenario where spam can bypass filters or legitimate email traffic can be incorrectly blocked. This vulnerability undermines the trust model that DCC systems depend upon for effective spam prevention, as it allows malicious actors to corrupt the distributed database that other participating servers rely on for decision making. The attack surface is particularly concerning given that DCC systems are widely deployed in enterprise email environments where maintaining accurate reputation data is critical for security operations.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate deployment of DCC version 1.3.51 or later which includes proper authentication mechanisms for map modifications. System administrators should implement network-level restrictions to limit access to DCC services and ensure that only authorized administrators can perform map operations. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 which addresses improper access control in software systems, and represents a clear violation of the principle of least privilege in security architecture. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to privilege escalation techniques and can be used to establish persistent access to email infrastructure by compromising the reputation management system. Organizations should conduct immediate vulnerability assessments to identify any systems running affected DCC versions and implement network segmentation to limit potential exploitation of this weakness.