CVE-2009-0879 in Director
Summary
by MITRE
The CIM server in IBM Director before 5.20.3 Service Update 2 on Windows allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (daemon crash) via a long consumer name, as demonstrated by an M-POST request to a long /CIMListener/ URI.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/24/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2009-0879 represents a denial of service weakness in IBM Director's CIM server component, specifically affecting versions prior to 5.20.3 Service Update 2 on Windows operating systems. This flaw manifests through improper input validation mechanisms that fail to adequately handle excessively long consumer names in M-POST requests directed to the /CIMListener/ URI endpoint. The vulnerability operates at the application layer of the network stack, exploiting a buffer management issue that occurs when the system attempts to process malformed or excessively long input parameters.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability leverages the Common Information Model (CIM) protocol framework which IBM Director uses for system management and monitoring functions. When a remote attacker crafts an M-POST request containing an abnormally long consumer name parameter, the CIM server daemon fails to properly validate the input length before processing. This insufficient input sanitization leads to a buffer overflow condition or memory corruption scenario that ultimately results in the daemon crashing and ceasing operations. The attack vector specifically targets the HTTP-based CIMListener interface, making it accessible over network connections without requiring authentication credentials.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption, as it can be exploited by unauthenticated remote attackers to systematically disable critical system management functions. Organizations relying on IBM Director for infrastructure monitoring and management would face significant operational challenges when this vulnerability is successfully exploited, potentially leading to extended periods of reduced system visibility and management capabilities. The daemon crash creates a window of service unavailability that can persist until manual intervention or automatic restart mechanisms are triggered, affecting the reliability of system monitoring and administrative functions.
From a cybersecurity framework perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, which describes heap-based buffer overflow conditions, and can be categorized under ATT&CK technique T1499.004 for network denial of service attacks. The vulnerability demonstrates poor input validation practices that violate secure coding principles and can be mitigated through proper parameter length validation, input sanitization, and robust error handling mechanisms. Organizations should implement network segmentation controls to limit exposure, apply the vendor-provided security updates, and consider monitoring for unusual M-POST request patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. The fix typically involves implementing proper bounds checking on consumer name parameters and ensuring that the CIM server daemon can gracefully handle malformed inputs without crashing.