CVE-2010-2552 in Windows
Summary
by MITRE
Stack consumption vulnerability in the SMB Server in Microsoft Windows Vista SP1 and SP2, Windows Server 2008 Gold, SP2, and R2, and Windows 7 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (system hang) via a malformed SMBv2 compounded request, aka "SMB Stack Exhaustion Vulnerability."
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/22/2021
The CVE-2010-2552 vulnerability represents a critical stack consumption flaw within Microsoft's Server Message Block implementation that affects multiple Windows operating systems including Vista SP1 and SP2, Windows Server 2008 Gold, SP2, and R2, as well as Windows 7. This vulnerability specifically targets the SMB Server component and operates through a sophisticated attack vector involving malformed SMBv2 compounded requests that systematically consume stack memory resources. The flaw manifests as a denial of service condition where the targeted system becomes unresponsive and eventually hangs due to excessive stack consumption during processing of these malformed requests.
The technical mechanism behind this vulnerability involves the improper handling of compound SMBv2 requests within the Windows SMB server implementation. When the server receives a specially crafted malformed compound request, it processes these requests without adequate stack space management, leading to progressive stack exhaustion. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-121 as a stack-based buffer overflow condition, though it specifically operates through stack consumption rather than traditional buffer overflow mechanisms. This type of attack exploits the recursive nature of SMB compound request processing where each request consumes stack space that is not properly managed or validated, causing the stack to grow beyond its allocated limits and ultimately leading to system hang conditions.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a significant threat to network infrastructure as it allows remote attackers to execute denial of service attacks without requiring authentication or elevated privileges. The attack can be executed over the network using standard SMB protocols, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where SMB services are commonly exposed. The impact extends beyond simple service disruption to potentially compromising availability of critical network services, as the system becomes unresponsive and requires manual intervention or reboot to restore functionality. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.004 for network denial of service attacks, specifically targeting the availability aspect of the CIA triad.
The mitigation strategies for CVE-2010-2552 primarily involve applying Microsoft security patches and updates that address the stack consumption issue in SMB server implementations. Organizations should prioritize immediate deployment of the relevant security updates from Microsoft, particularly focusing on the specific SMB server stack management fixes provided in the security bulletin. Additionally, network segmentation and firewall rules can be implemented to restrict SMB traffic to necessary endpoints only, reducing the attack surface. System administrators should also monitor for anomalous SMB traffic patterns and implement intrusion detection systems to identify potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper stack management in server implementations and highlights the necessity of comprehensive security testing for protocol implementations to prevent resource exhaustion attacks that can severely impact system availability.