CVE-2010-4545 in Lotus Notes Traveler
Summary
by MITRE
IBM Lotus Notes Traveler before 8.5.1.2 allows remote authenticated users to cause a denial of service (resource consumption and sync outage) by syncing a large volume of data.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/08/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2010-4545 affects IBM Lotus Notes Traveler versions prior to 8.5.1.2, representing a significant denial of service weakness that impacts mobile device synchronization capabilities. This flaw specifically targets the synchronization process between IBM Lotus Notes Traveler servers and mobile devices, creating a scenario where authenticated users can exploit the system's resource management mechanisms to trigger system instability. The vulnerability operates through a carefully crafted data synchronization request that overwhelms the server's processing capabilities, leading to resource exhaustion and subsequent service disruption.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and resource management within the Lotus Notes Traveler synchronization engine. When an authenticated user submits a large volume of data through the sync mechanism, the system fails to properly throttle or limit the resource consumption associated with processing these requests. This deficiency allows malicious or compromised users to consume excessive CPU cycles, memory allocation, and disk I/O resources, effectively creating a resource starvation condition that impacts the overall system performance. The flaw aligns with CWE-400, which categorizes unchecked resource consumption as a fundamental weakness in software design that leads to denial of service conditions.
The operational impact of CVE-2010-4545 extends beyond simple service disruption to create comprehensive business continuity challenges for organizations relying on Lotus Notes Traveler for mobile email and calendar synchronization. When exploited, the vulnerability can cause complete sync outages affecting multiple users simultaneously, leading to productivity losses and potential data access issues for mobile workforce members. The resource consumption pattern typically manifests as gradual system degradation before complete service failure, making it difficult for administrators to identify the root cause during active exploitation. This vulnerability particularly affects organizations with high mobile user density and extensive data synchronization requirements, where the impact multiplier increases significantly.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the official IBM security patches for Lotus Notes Traveler 8.5.1.2 and later versions, which address the resource consumption limitations through enhanced input validation and processing throttling mechanisms. Network monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual synchronization patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts, while system administrators should configure appropriate resource limits and connection throttling policies to prevent single users from consuming disproportionate system resources. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of implementing proper resource management practices as outlined in the ATT&CK framework's resource exhaustion tactics, where adversaries leverage legitimate system functions to consume resources beyond normal operational parameters. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing rate limiting mechanisms and user activity monitoring to detect and prevent exploitation attempts before they can cause significant disruption to business operations.