CVE-2008-5183 in cups
Summary
by MITRE
cupsd in CUPS 1.3.9 and earlier allows local users, and possibly remote attackers, to cause a denial of service (daemon crash) by adding a large number of RSS Subscriptions, which triggers a NULL pointer dereference. NOTE: this issue can be triggered remotely by leveraging CVE-2008-5184.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/11/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2008-5183 affects the Common Unix Printing System (CUPS) daemon known as cupsd, specifically versions 1.3.9 and earlier. This issue represents a critical denial of service weakness that can be exploited by both local and remote attackers, potentially leading to complete system service disruption. The vulnerability stems from improper handling of RSS subscription requests within the printing system's daemon process, creating a scenario where legitimate system operations can be interrupted through malicious input manipulation.
The technical flaw manifests as a NULL pointer dereference condition that occurs when cupsd processes an excessive number of RSS subscriptions. This memory management error arises from insufficient input validation and bounds checking within the daemon's subscription handling mechanism. When the system receives a large volume of subscription requests, the internal data structures fail to properly allocate or manage memory references, resulting in a NULL pointer being accessed and subsequently causing the daemon to crash. This behavior aligns with CWE-476, which categorizes NULL pointer dereference as a common programming error that leads to system instability and potential service disruption.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service interruption, as it can be leveraged remotely through the exploitation of CVE-2008-5184, which likely provides an initial attack vector or privilege escalation mechanism. This remote exploitation capability transforms what might initially appear as a local privilege issue into a more severe security concern affecting networked systems. The daemon crash creates a persistent denial of service condition that can be repeatedly triggered, potentially rendering printing services completely unavailable to legitimate users. In enterprise environments, this vulnerability could disrupt business operations, particularly in organizations heavily dependent on centralized printing infrastructure.
From a cybersecurity framework perspective, this vulnerability demonstrates characteristics consistent with the attack pattern described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the T1499 category for Network Denial of Service, where adversaries can disrupt services through resource exhaustion or application-level attacks. The vulnerability also reflects weaknesses in input validation and memory management practices that align with common security misconfigurations. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including upgrading to CUPS versions 1.3.10 or later, where this issue has been resolved through proper NULL pointer checks and enhanced input validation. Additionally, network segmentation and access controls should be implemented to limit exposure, while monitoring systems should be configured to detect unusual subscription request patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts.