CVE-2007-2179 in RaidenFTPD
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple unspecified vulnerabilities in IXceedCompression in XceddZipLib (RaidenFTPD.dll) in RaidenFTPD 2.4 allow remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) via unspecified vectors involving the (1) CalculateCrc, (2) Compress, and (3) Uncompress functions, which result in a NULL pointer dereference.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/29/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2007-2179 resides within the IXceedCompression component of RaidenFTPD version 2.4, specifically within the RaidenFTPD.dll library that implements the XceedZipLib compression functionality. This issue represents a critical security flaw that affects the core compression and decompression operations of the FTP server software, creating potential pathways for remote attackers to exploit the system through deliberate manipulation of compression functions. The vulnerability manifests through three primary functions: CalculateCrc, Compress, and Uncompress, each of which can trigger a system crash when processing malformed or specially crafted input data. The root cause of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-476, which describes NULL pointer dereference conditions that occur when software attempts to access memory through a pointer that has not been properly initialized or validated.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when remote attackers send specially crafted data packets to the FTP server that invoke the affected compression functions. When these functions process malformed input, they fail to properly validate pointer references, leading to a NULL pointer dereference condition that ultimately results in the application crashing and terminating its service. This behavior constitutes a classic denial of service attack vector where the attacker can repeatedly trigger the crash condition to keep the FTP service unavailable to legitimate users. The impact extends beyond simple service disruption as it can be leveraged to create persistent availability issues that may affect business operations and system reliability. The vulnerability's classification as a remote attack vector means that no local access or authentication is required to exploit the flaw, making it particularly dangerous in networked environments.
From an operational standpoint, this vulnerability creates significant risks for organizations relying on RaidenFTPD 2.4 for file transfer operations, as the denial of service condition can be easily triggered and repeatedly executed to maintain system unavailability. The attack surface is broad since the affected functions are integral to normal FTP operations, meaning that any file transfer activity could potentially trigger the vulnerability. The exploitation pattern aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.004, which covers network disruption attacks through service availability violations. Organizations using this software version face the risk of complete service interruption, potentially affecting multiple users and business processes that depend on FTP file transfers. The vulnerability also represents a potential stepping stone for more sophisticated attacks, as initial disruption can be followed by additional exploitation attempts.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate attention through software updates and patches provided by the vendor, as the affected version of RaidenFTPD is no longer supported and lacks current security updates. System administrators should implement network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure to the vulnerable service, while also considering the deployment of intrusion detection systems to monitor for exploitation attempts. The implementation of input validation controls and proper error handling within the application layer can help reduce the impact of such vulnerabilities, though the most effective solution remains the immediate upgrade to a patched version of the software. Organizations should also conduct thorough vulnerability assessments to identify other potentially affected systems and ensure that similar compression library implementations are properly secured against similar NULL pointer dereference conditions.