CVE-2008-5428 in Web Browser
Summary
by MITRE
Opera 9.51 on Windows XP 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 • 04/22/2019
This vulnerability affects Opera 9.51 browser on Windows XP systems and represents a classic denial of service flaw in email processing functionality. The issue stems from the browser's inadequate handling of complex email message structures that contain excessive multipart content or numerous rfc822 message headers. When processing such malformed email messages, the browser's email parser fails to properly manage memory allocation and stack usage, leading to resource exhaustion that can cause the application to crash or become unresponsive. The vulnerability operates through a stack-based buffer overflow or excessive memory consumption pattern that occurs during the parsing of email messages containing multiple MIME parts or headers.
The technical implementation of this flaw involves the email message parser's failure to implement proper bounds checking or resource limiting mechanisms when encountering email messages with excessive multipart content. In the case of multipart/mixed messages with many MIME parts, the parser recursively processes each component without adequate safeguards against exponential memory growth or stack consumption. Similarly, when processing messages with numerous Content-type: message/rfc822; headers, the parser may create nested structures that consume disproportionate amounts of system resources. This behavior aligns with CWE-121, which describes stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and CWE-772, which covers missing resource management issues. The vulnerability demonstrates characteristics of a resource exhaustion attack pattern that can be classified under the ATT&CK technique T1499.004 for network denial of service.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple browser crashes to potentially affect the overall system stability and user productivity. Attackers can craft malicious email messages that, when opened by a victim using Opera 9.51 on Windows XP, will cause the browser to consume excessive system resources until the application becomes unresponsive or crashes entirely. This creates a significant risk for users in corporate environments where email is a primary communication channel, as a single malicious email could disrupt business operations. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it affects a widely deployed browser version on an operating system that was still in use during the time of the vulnerability's discovery, making the attack surface quite broad.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on both immediate protective measures and long-term remediation approaches. Users should immediately update to newer versions of Opera that have proper bounds checking and resource management for email parsing operations, as this vulnerability was addressed in subsequent releases. System administrators should implement email filtering mechanisms that can detect and quarantine suspicious email messages with excessive multipart content or header counts. Additionally, network administrators should consider implementing email scanning solutions that can identify and block malformed email content before it reaches end users. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper input validation and resource management in client-side applications, and serves as a reminder that email processing components require robust security measures to prevent resource exhaustion attacks that can be executed through simple email attachments or message content.