CVE-2008-5564 in Orb
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in the media server in Orb Networks Orb before 2.01.0025 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (daemon crash) via a malformed HTTP request.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/22/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2008-5564 affects the media server component within Orb Networks Orb software version 2.01.0025 and earlier. This represents a critical security flaw that enables remote attackers to disrupt service availability by exploiting a weakness in how the media server processes incoming HTTP requests. The issue manifests as a denial of service condition that results in the daemon crashing and ceasing operations. The unspecified nature of the vulnerability suggests that the exact technical mechanism remains undocumented in the public record, though it clearly involves improper handling of malformed input data.
The technical flaw resides in the media server's insufficient validation and error handling mechanisms for HTTP request parsing. When the server receives a malformed HTTP request, it fails to properly sanitize or reject the invalid input, leading to a crash condition that terminates the daemon process. This type of vulnerability aligns with common software security weaknesses where input validation fails to account for edge cases or malformed data patterns that can trigger unexpected behavior. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and specifically targets the media server daemon functionality that handles HTTP protocol communications.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risk to organizations relying on Orb Networks Orb for media streaming services. Remote attackers can exploit this weakness without requiring authentication or privileged access, making it particularly dangerous in networked environments. The denial of service impact disrupts legitimate user access to media content and can result in extended service outages that affect business operations and user experience. The vulnerability's remote exploitability means that attackers can trigger the crash from any location on the internet, making it an attractive target for malicious actors seeking to disrupt services.
The mitigation strategy for this vulnerability requires immediate application of the vendor-provided patch or upgrade to Orb Networks Orb version 2.01.0025 or later, which contains the necessary fixes to address the malformed HTTP request handling. Organizations should also implement network-level controls such as firewalls and intrusion detection systems to monitor and filter suspicious HTTP traffic patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. Additionally, regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify similar issues in other networked applications. This vulnerability demonstrates the importance of robust input validation and proper error handling in server applications, aligning with common security practices outlined in the CWE (Common Weakness Enumeration) catalog for improper input validation and buffer overflows. The attack vector and impact characteristics suggest this vulnerability could be mapped to ATT&CK techniques involving service disruption and denial of service operations that target application layer protocols.