CVE-2008-5426 in Kaspersky Internet Security Suite
Summary
by MITRE
Kaspersky Internet Security Suite 2009 does not properly handle (1) multipart/mixed e-mail messages with many MIME parts and possibly (2) e-mail messages with many "Content-type: message/rfc822;" headers, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (stack consumption or other resource consumption) via a large e-mail message, a related issue to CVE-2006-1173.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/27/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2008-5426 represents a critical denial of service weakness in Kaspersky Internet Security Suite 2009 that stems from inadequate processing of complex email message structures. This flaw specifically targets the software's handling of multipart/mixed email messages containing numerous MIME parts and email messages with excessive "Content-type: message/rfc822;" headers. The issue arises from the software's insufficient resource management during email scanning operations, creating opportunities for malicious actors to exploit the system through carefully crafted email payloads.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability demonstrates a classic stack consumption problem where the security software fails to properly validate or limit the number of MIME parts in email messages. When processing email messages with excessive multipart structures, the Kaspersky suite consumes disproportionate amounts of system resources including stack memory and processing power. This behavior aligns with CWE-400, which categorizes resource exhaustion vulnerabilities as critical threats that can lead to system instability or complete service disruption. The vulnerability operates at the application layer of the network stack and specifically impacts the email filtering and scanning functionality of the security suite.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption to potentially compromise the overall security posture of systems relying on Kaspersky Internet Security Suite 2009. Attackers can exploit this weakness by sending specially crafted email messages that contain numerous MIME parts or excessive rfc822 headers, causing the security software to consume excessive system resources. This resource exhaustion can lead to system slowdowns, complete service unavailability, or even system crashes that affect legitimate email processing operations. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it affects email security software itself, creating a scenario where the protective mechanisms become the vector for attacks.
From a threat modeling perspective, this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.004 which covers network denial of service attacks targeting email services. The attack surface is broad as email remains one of the primary attack vectors in cybersecurity, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where email filtering is critical. Organizations using Kaspersky Internet Security Suite 2009 are at risk of experiencing operational disruptions that can impact business continuity and productivity. The vulnerability's relationship to CVE-2006-1173 indicates a pattern of similar resource exhaustion issues in email processing components, suggesting that multiple related vulnerabilities may exist within the same software family.
The mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should include immediate software updates and patches provided by Kaspersky to address the specific resource handling issues in email processing. System administrators should implement email filtering rules that limit the number of MIME parts in incoming messages and establish monitoring for unusual resource consumption patterns. Network-level protections such as email size limits and rate limiting can provide additional defense in depth measures. Organizations should also consider implementing email security solutions that properly validate and sanitize email content before it reaches the primary security software, reducing the likelihood of exploitation through malformed email structures. Regular security assessments should include testing for similar resource exhaustion vulnerabilities in other email security solutions to prevent similar issues from affecting the overall security infrastructure.