CVE-2010-4712 in GroupWise
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple stack-based buffer overflows in gwia.exe in GroupWise Internet Agent (GWIA) in Novell GroupWise before 8.02HP allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a Content-Type header containing (1) multiple items separated by ; (semicolon) characters or (2) crafted string data.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/13/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2010-4712 represents a critical stack-based buffer overflow affecting the GroupWise Internet Agent component within Novell GroupWise email infrastructure. This flaw exists in the gwia.exe executable and impacts versions prior to 8.02HP, making it a significant security concern for organizations relying on this email gateway solution. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation within the Content-Type header processing functionality, specifically when handling semicolon-separated values or crafted string data structures.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs through improper bounds checking in the parsing logic of the Content-Type header. When the GWIA processes incoming email messages, it fails to properly validate the length of data segments within the Content-Type header, particularly when semicolon characters are used to separate multiple content type parameters. This allows attackers to craft malicious headers that exceed the allocated stack buffer space, resulting in memory corruption that can be exploited to execute arbitrary code on the affected system. The vulnerability manifests when the application attempts to store user-supplied data in a fixed-size stack buffer without adequate bounds checking, creating a classic stack overflow condition.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a severe risk to email infrastructure security as it enables remote code execution without requiring authentication. Attackers can exploit this flaw by sending specially crafted email messages containing malicious Content-Type headers to the GroupWise Internet Agent service. The impact extends beyond simple code execution to potentially allow full system compromise, privilege escalation, and persistence mechanisms. Organizations using vulnerable GroupWise versions face significant exposure to unauthorized access and potential data breaches, as the vulnerability can be exploited from external networks without requiring any prior access credentials.
The exploitability of CVE-2010-4712 aligns with attack patterns documented in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the T1203 and T1059 techniques, where adversaries leverage software vulnerabilities to execute malicious code and establish persistent access. This vulnerability specifically maps to CWE-121, stack-based buffer overflow, and CWE-787, out-of-bounds write, as it involves both stack memory corruption and improper bounds checking. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the vendor-provided security patch for GroupWise 8.02HP, implementing network segmentation to limit access to the GWIA service, and deploying intrusion detection systems to monitor for exploitation attempts. Additional protective measures include configuring email filters to block suspicious Content-Type headers, implementing proper input validation at network boundaries, and establishing robust monitoring procedures to detect potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and proper input validation in email infrastructure components to prevent remote code execution exploits.