CVE-2007-1173 in Discovery
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple buffer overflows in the CentennialIPTransferServer service (XFERWAN.EXE), as used by (1) Centennial Discovery 2006 Feature Pack 1, (2) Numara Asset Manager 8.0, and (3) Symantec Discovery 6.5, allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via long strings in a crafted TCP packet.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/23/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2007-1173 represents a critical buffer overflow flaw within the CentennialIPTransferServer service component, specifically manifested in the XFERWAN.EXE executable. This service operates as part of several enterprise software solutions including Centennial Discovery 2006 Feature Pack 1, Numara Asset Manager 8.0, and Symantec Discovery 6.5, making it a widespread concern across multiple security platforms. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation mechanisms within the service's TCP packet handling routines, where the system fails to properly sanitize or limit the length of incoming data strings before processing them in memory buffers.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the transmission of specially crafted TCP packets containing excessively long strings to the affected service. When the XFERWAN.EXE process receives these malformed packets, it attempts to store the oversized data within fixed-size memory buffers without proper bounds checking. This fundamental flaw in memory management creates opportunities for attackers to overwrite adjacent memory locations, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the service account. The vulnerability specifically maps to CWE-121, which describes stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and CWE-122, addressing heap-based buffer overflow scenarios that can occur when insufficient bounds checking is implemented.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption to encompass full system compromise potential. Attackers leveraging this flaw can gain remote code execution capabilities, allowing them to install malicious software, modify system configurations, or establish persistent access points within the network infrastructure. Given that these services are typically deployed in enterprise environments with elevated privileges, successful exploitation could result in widespread data breaches, system infiltration, or lateral movement opportunities for threat actors. The vulnerability's remote attack vector eliminates the need for physical access or local network presence, making it particularly dangerous for organizations with exposed network services.
Organizations affected by CVE-2007-1173 should implement immediate mitigations including network segmentation to isolate affected systems, firewall rules to restrict TCP packet transmission to the vulnerable service ports, and application whitelisting to prevent unauthorized execution of the vulnerable XFERWAN.EXE process. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1055 for process injection techniques and T1071 for application layer protocol usage, highlighting the potential for attackers to leverage this entry point for further system compromise. System administrators should also consider implementing intrusion detection systems to monitor for suspicious TCP packet patterns and establish comprehensive patch management procedures to address the underlying software vulnerabilities. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of input validation and memory safety practices in enterprise network services, aligning with industry standards that emphasize defensive programming techniques and secure coding practices to prevent such exploitable conditions.