CVE-2008-3177 in Sophos
Summary
by MITRE
Sophos virus detection engine 2.75 on Linux and Unix, as used in Sophos Email Appliance, Pure Message for Unix, and Sophos Anti-Virus Interface (SAVI), allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (engine crash) via zero-length MIME attachments.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/24/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2008-3177 represents a critical denial of service flaw within the Sophos virus detection engine version 2.75, which was widely deployed across various enterprise security solutions including the Sophos Email Appliance, Pure Message for Unix, and Sophos Anti-Virus Interface. This vulnerability specifically affects Linux and Unix operating systems where the affected software components are installed, creating a significant risk for organizations relying on these security platforms for email and file scanning operations. The flaw stems from inadequate input validation within the MIME attachment processing functionality of the virus detection engine.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs when the Sophos detection engine encounters zero-length MIME attachments during the scanning process. This particular edge case in the MIME parsing logic causes the engine to crash or become unresponsive, resulting in a complete denial of service condition that affects the entire email scanning or antivirus functionality. The vulnerability manifests as an engine crash that requires manual intervention to restore normal operations, effectively rendering the security appliance incapable of processing incoming email traffic or scanning files for malicious content. This flaw operates at the application layer and can be exploited remotely without requiring authentication, making it particularly dangerous for network-based attacks.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption, as it creates a cascading effect on email delivery and security monitoring capabilities within affected organizations. When the Sophos engine crashes due to zero-length MIME attachments, it can lead to complete email system outages, delayed security responses, and potential exposure to other threats during the recovery period. The vulnerability is particularly concerning in enterprise environments where email systems are critical infrastructure components, as it can disrupt business operations and potentially allow malicious actors to exploit the temporary security gaps during system recovery. Organizations using these specific Sophos products may experience significant downtime and increased administrative overhead during incident response activities.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including updating to patched versions of the Sophos virus detection engine, implementing network-level filtering to block suspicious MIME attachments, and establishing monitoring procedures to detect engine crashes. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-129, which addresses improper validation of input boundaries, and demonstrates characteristics consistent with ATT&CK technique T1499.004 for endpoint denial of service. Security teams should also consider implementing redundant security measures and ensuring proper incident response procedures are in place to handle such service disruption events. Regular security assessments and patch management programs become essential for maintaining protection against similar vulnerabilities in the Sophos product line and other antivirus solutions that may exhibit similar input validation weaknesses.