CVE-2010-0155 in Proventia Network Mail Security System Virtual Appliance
Summary
by MITRE
CRLF injection vulnerability in load.php in the Local Management Interface (LMI) on the IBM Proventia Network Mail Security System (PNMSS) appliance with firmware before 2.5 allows remote authenticated users to inject arbitrary HTTP headers and conduct HTTP response splitting attacks via the javaVersion parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/05/2018
The CVE-2010-0155 vulnerability represents a critical CRLF injection flaw discovered in the Local Management Interface of IBM Proventia Network Mail Security System appliances. This vulnerability specifically affects the load.php script within the LMI component and impacts firmware versions prior to 2.5. The vulnerability arises from insufficient input validation and sanitization of user-supplied parameters, particularly the javaVersion parameter that is processed within the HTTP request handling mechanism. The flaw enables authenticated remote attackers to inject malicious carriage return and line feed sequences into HTTP headers, which can be exploited to manipulate HTTP responses and execute various malicious activities including session hijacking and cross-site scripting attacks.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the manipulation of the javaVersion parameter in HTTP requests sent to the load.php endpoint. When the system processes this parameter without proper sanitization, it allows attackers to inject CRLF sequences that can be interpreted as HTTP header terminators. This creates a condition where attackers can inject arbitrary HTTP headers into the response, effectively enabling HTTP response splitting attacks. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-110 and CWE-74 as it involves improper neutralization of CRLF sequences and injection of HTTP headers respectively. The attack vector requires authentication since the vulnerability exists within the LMI, but once exploited, it can allow attackers to manipulate the HTTP response behavior of the appliance.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple header injection, as it enables sophisticated attack scenarios that can compromise the security posture of the mail security appliance. Attackers can leverage HTTP response splitting to perform session fixation attacks, redirect users to malicious sites, or inject malicious content into HTTP responses. This capability undermines the integrity of the appliance's web interface and can potentially allow attackers to escalate privileges or gain unauthorized access to sensitive system information. The vulnerability particularly affects organizations relying on IBM Proventia Network Mail Security System for email protection, as it creates a potential entry point for attackers to compromise the security infrastructure. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to T1190 (Exploit Public-Facing Application) and T1071.004 (Application Layer Protocol: DNS) as it involves exploitation of web application vulnerabilities and can be used to manipulate application layer protocols.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including updating the appliance firmware to version 2.5 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address the CRLF injection vulnerability. Network segmentation and access controls should be strengthened to limit exposure of the LMI interface to only authorized personnel. Input validation mechanisms should be enhanced to sanitize all user-supplied parameters, particularly those used in HTTP header construction. Additionally, monitoring and logging should be implemented to detect anomalous HTTP request patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of regular security assessments and firmware updates to maintain the security posture of network security appliances. Security teams should conduct vulnerability scans to identify affected systems and implement network-based intrusion detection rules to detect exploitation attempts targeting this specific vulnerability.