CVE-2008-6575 in Communication Manager
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in the SIP server in SIP Enablement Services (SES) in Avaya Communication Manager 3.1.x and 4.x allows remote authenticated users to cause a denial of service (resource consumption) via unknown vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/11/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2008-6575 affects the Session Initiation Protocol server within Avaya Communication Manager's SIP Enablement Services version 3.1.x and 4.x releases. This represents a significant security weakness in enterprise communication infrastructure that could be exploited by authenticated remote attackers to disrupt service availability. The unspecified nature of the vulnerability vectors suggests that the exact technical mechanism remains undisclosed, though the impact is clearly defined as resource consumption leading to denial of service conditions.
The technical flaw manifests within the SIP server component responsible for handling session initiation protocol communications within Avaya's communication management platform. When exploited, this vulnerability allows authenticated users to consume excessive system resources through unspecified attack vectors that likely involve manipulation of SIP protocol messages or session handling mechanisms. The authentication requirement indicates that attackers must first establish legitimate credentials within the system, potentially through compromised accounts or social engineering tactics, before executing the resource exhaustion attack.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates a serious risk to business continuity and communication availability within enterprise environments that rely on Avaya Communication Manager. The denial of service condition can result in complete disruption of voice and multimedia communication services, affecting critical business operations and potentially leading to significant financial losses. Organizations utilizing these specific versions of Avaya Communication Manager face potential exposure to attacks that could render their communication infrastructure unusable, requiring emergency response procedures and service restoration efforts.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-400, which covers "Uncontrolled Resource Consumption," and represents a classic example of resource exhaustion attacks that can be categorized under ATT&CK technique T1499.1, specifically "Endpoint Denial of Service." Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including patching to the latest available versions of Avaya Communication Manager, network segmentation to limit access to SIP services, and monitoring for unusual resource consumption patterns. Additional protective measures should include implementing rate limiting on SIP traffic, enforcing strict authentication controls, and maintaining comprehensive incident response procedures to address potential exploitation attempts and minimize service disruption impact.