CVE-2011-0758 in Gateway Security
Summary
by MITRE
The eCS component (ECSQdmn.exe) in CA ETrust Secure Content Manager 8.0 and CA Gateway Security 8.1 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) and execute arbitrary code via a crafted request to port 1882, involving an incorrect integer calculation and a heap-based buffer overflow.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/20/2015
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-0758 affects the eCS component known as ECSQdmn.exe within CA ETrust Secure Content Manager version 8.0 and CA Gateway Security version 8.1. This critical security flaw resides in the network service listening on port 1882, which processes incoming requests from remote attackers. The vulnerability stems from improper input validation and memory management practices within the application's handling of network traffic, creating a dangerous attack surface that could be exploited by malicious actors without requiring authentication.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves two primary components that work in conjunction to create a remote code execution vector. First, an incorrect integer calculation occurs during the processing of incoming network requests, which leads to an improper memory allocation decision. This miscalculation creates a scenario where the application attempts to allocate memory based on manipulated input values that do not correspond to legitimate request sizes. Second, this flawed integer arithmetic directly contributes to a heap-based buffer overflow condition, where the application writes data beyond the boundaries of allocated memory buffers. The combination of these issues creates a situation where an attacker can manipulate the application's memory layout to overwrite critical program data structures or executable code, effectively allowing arbitrary code execution.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability represents a severe threat to organizations relying on these security products, as it provides remote attackers with the capability to both crash the targeted services and gain complete system control. The denial of service aspect immediately disrupts content security operations, potentially allowing attackers to bypass security controls and access protected content. The remote code execution capability transforms this into a full compromise scenario where attackers can establish persistent access, escalate privileges, and potentially use the compromised system as a launch point for further attacks within the network infrastructure. The vulnerability affects the core security functionality of these products, undermining their primary purpose of protecting enterprise content and communications.
The attack vector for this vulnerability is particularly concerning as it requires no authentication and can be exploited remotely through the network service listening on port 1882. This makes it highly attractive to threat actors who can leverage it to compromise systems without needing insider knowledge or physical access. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-129, which addresses improper validation of array index values, and CWE-121, which covers stack-based buffer overflow conditions. Additionally, the attack pattern corresponds to techniques described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under T1059 for command and scripting interpreter and T1499 for endpoint denial of service, demonstrating how this vulnerability could be weaponized for both immediate disruption and long-term system compromise. Organizations should immediately implement network segmentation to restrict access to port 1882, deploy network intrusion detection systems to monitor for exploitation attempts, and apply vendor-provided patches as soon as they become available to remediate this critical vulnerability.
This vulnerability highlights fundamental security issues in legacy security software implementations and underscores the importance of proper memory management and input validation practices. The flaw demonstrates how seemingly minor implementation errors in network service handling can create devastating security consequences, particularly when the affected components are critical to enterprise security infrastructure. Organizations should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments of their security infrastructure to identify similar issues in other legacy products and implement robust security testing procedures including fuzzing and memory corruption analysis to prevent similar vulnerabilities from being introduced in future software development cycles.