CVE-2008-3502 in Bestpractical
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in Best Practical Solutions RT 3.0.0 through 3.6.6 allows remote authenticated users to cause a denial of service (CPU or memory consumption) via unspecified vectors related to the Devel::StackTrace module for Perl.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/03/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2008-3502 resides within Best Practical Solutions RT versions 3.0.0 through 3.6.6, representing a significant security weakness that enables remote authenticated attackers to execute denial of service attacks against affected systems. This issue specifically targets the Devel::StackTrace module for Perl, which serves as a critical debugging and error reporting component within the RT ticketing system. The vulnerability manifests through unspecified vectors that ultimately result in excessive cpu or memory consumption, effectively compromising system availability and operational integrity.
The technical flaw stems from improper handling of stack trace generation within the Devel::StackTrace Perl module when integrated with the RT system. When authenticated users submit specific requests that trigger stack trace generation, the system fails to properly manage memory allocation and processing cycles, leading to resource exhaustion. This represents a classic denial of service vulnerability that operates at the application layer, leveraging legitimate system functionality to consume excessive computational resources. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-400, which categorizes improper resource exhaustion as a fundamental weakness in application design that allows attackers to consume system resources through legitimate operations.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a substantial risk to organizations relying on RT ticketing systems, as it allows authenticated users to consume system resources without requiring elevated privileges. The impact extends beyond simple service disruption, potentially affecting system stability and performance for all users of the ticketing platform. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by crafting specific requests that trigger the problematic stack trace handling, leading to progressive resource exhaustion that may require system restarts or manual intervention to resolve. This type of vulnerability particularly affects systems where RT is used as a central communication or support platform, as sustained resource exhaustion can effectively disable critical business operations.
The mitigation strategy for CVE-2008-3502 requires immediate patching of affected RT versions to address the underlying Devel::StackTrace module handling. Organizations should implement proper input validation and resource limiting mechanisms to prevent excessive stack trace generation. Network segmentation and access controls should be strengthened to limit authentication scope and reduce potential attack surface. Additionally, monitoring systems should be configured to detect unusual resource consumption patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. This vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper error handling and resource management in application security, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1499.004 for resource exhaustion attacks. Organizations should also consider implementing application-level firewalls or web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious request patterns that may trigger the vulnerable code paths. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify similar issues within the broader application ecosystem.