CVE-2010-3862 in JBoss Remoting
Summary
by MITRE
The org.jboss.remoting.transport.bisocket.BisocketServerInvoker$SecondaryServerSocketThread.run method in JBoss Remoting 2.2.x before 2.2.3.SP4 and 2.5.x before 2.5.3.SP2 in Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform (aka JBoss EAP or JBEAP) 4.3 through 4.3.0.CP09, and 5.1.0; and JBoss Enterprise Web Platform (aka JBEWP) 5.1.0; allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (daemon outage) by establishing a bisocket control connection TCP session, and then not sending any application data.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/23/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2010-3862 represents a critical denial of service flaw within the JBoss Remoting component of Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform and Web Platform. This issue specifically affects versions 2.2.x prior to 2.2.3.SP4 and 2.5.x prior to 2.5.3.SP2, impacting JBoss EAP 4.3 through 4.3.0.CP09 and JBoss EAP 5.1.0, as well as JBoss EWP 5.1.0. The vulnerability stems from improper handling of bisocket control connections within the remoting subsystem, creating a condition where malicious actors can exploit the system's resource management mechanisms to cause daemon outages.
The technical flaw manifests in the org.jboss.remoting.transport.bisocket.BisocketServerInvoker$SecondaryServerSocketThread.run method which fails to properly validate or time out control connection sessions. When a remote attacker establishes a bisocket control connection TCP session but subsequently fails to send any application data, the system enters a state where the connection remains active and consumes system resources without proper cleanup. This behavior creates a resource exhaustion scenario where the daemon becomes unresponsive to legitimate connection requests. The vulnerability operates at the transport layer of the remoting framework, specifically targeting the bisocket protocol implementation that enables bidirectional communication between client and server components.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risk to enterprise applications deployed on JBoss platforms, as it allows attackers to cause complete daemon outages with minimal effort. The attack requires only the establishment of a TCP session followed by inactivity, making it particularly dangerous as it can be executed without sophisticated techniques or prior access to the system. The impact extends beyond simple service disruption to potentially compromise business continuity, as the daemon outage affects the entire application platform's ability to process legitimate requests. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-400, which addresses "Uncontrolled Resource Consumption" and represents a classic example of how improper resource management can lead to denial of service conditions. The attack vector falls under the ATT&CK technique T1499.004 for "Endpoint Denial of Service" and T1566.001 for "Phishing" since the attack can be initiated through network-based means without requiring authentication.
The exploitation of this vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper connection lifecycle management and resource cleanup in enterprise middleware platforms. Organizations using affected JBoss versions should implement immediate mitigations including applying the vendor patches available in SP4 for 2.2.x and SP2 for 2.5.x releases, configuring appropriate connection timeouts, and implementing network-level controls to limit the number of concurrent connections. Additionally, monitoring systems should be enhanced to detect unusual connection patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date enterprise software components and the need for comprehensive security testing of middleware platforms to prevent similar issues from compromising system availability and reliability.