CVE-2008-4564 in Mail Security Appliance
Summary
by MITRE
Stack-based buffer overflow in wp6sr.dll in the Autonomy KeyView SDK 10.4 and earlier, as used in IBM Lotus Notes, Symantec Mail Security (SMS) products, Symantec BrightMail Appliance products, and Symantec Data Loss Prevention (DLP) products, allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted Word Perfect Document (WPD) file.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/29/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2008-4564 represents a critical stack-based buffer overflow in the wp6sr.dll component of the Autonomy KeyView SDK version 10.4 and earlier. This flaw affects multiple enterprise security products including IBM Lotus Notes, Symantec Mail Security solutions, BrightMail Appliance systems, and Data Loss Prevention products, creating a widespread attack surface across corporate email and document processing environments. The vulnerability specifically manifests when processing crafted Word Perfect Document files that contain maliciously constructed data structures designed to overflow the allocated stack buffer space.
The technical nature of this flaw stems from improper input validation within the KeyView SDK's document parsing routines. When a malicious WPD file is processed, the wp6sr.dll library fails to adequately bounds-check the size of data elements during parsing operations, allowing an attacker to overwrite adjacent memory locations on the stack. This memory corruption can be leveraged to overwrite return addresses and function pointers, enabling arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the affected application process. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it operates in a privileged context where document processing occurs, often without user interaction required for exploitation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple code execution, as it provides attackers with a potential pathway for complete system compromise within enterprise environments. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to deliver malware payloads, establish persistent backdoors, or escalate privileges within the targeted systems. The widespread adoption of affected products across enterprise networks means that a successful exploitation could potentially compromise multiple systems simultaneously, making this vulnerability particularly attractive to threat actors. The remote execution capability eliminates the need for local access, enabling attackers to exploit systems from external networks.
Security professionals should implement immediate mitigations including disabling processing of untrusted document formats, deploying network-based intrusion detection systems to monitor for suspicious WPD file transfers, and applying vendor-specific patches or workarounds. Organizations should also consider implementing content filtering solutions that can detect and block potentially malicious document attachments. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-121 stack-based buffer overflow classification and maps to attack techniques described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under initial access and execution phases. Additionally, this vulnerability demonstrates the risks associated with third-party library dependencies in enterprise security products, highlighting the importance of comprehensive software supply chain security practices and regular security assessments of integrated components.