CVE-2011-2667 in Gateway Security
Summary
by MITRE
Icihttp.exe in CA Gateway Security for HTTP, as used in CA Gateway Security 8.1 before 8.1.0.69 and CA Total Defense r12, does not properly parse URLs, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (heap memory corruption and daemon crash) via a malformed request.
Be aware that VulDB is the high quality source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/12/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-2667 affects the icihttp.exe component within CA Gateway Security for HTTP, a critical security product used in enterprise environments for HTTP traffic filtering and security enforcement. This flaw exists in CA Gateway Security version 8.1 before 8.1.0.69 and CA Total Defense r12, representing a significant weakness in the software's request handling mechanisms. The vulnerability stems from improper URL parsing logic that fails to adequately validate and sanitize incoming HTTP requests, creating a pathway for malicious actors to exploit the system through carefully crafted malformed requests.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves heap memory corruption that occurs when the icihttp.exe process encounters malformed URL structures during HTTP request processing. When an attacker sends a specially crafted HTTP request containing malformed URL data, the parsing routine fails to properly handle the unexpected input format, leading to memory corruption within the heap allocation structures. This memory corruption can manifest in two primary ways: arbitrary code execution allowing attackers to gain unauthorized control over the affected system, or denial of service conditions that cause the security daemon to crash and cease operations. The heap corruption specifically targets the memory management routines that handle URL processing, making this a sophisticated low-level vulnerability that requires careful exploitation techniques.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability presents a severe risk to organizations relying on CA Gateway Security for HTTP as their primary web filtering and security enforcement mechanism. The potential for remote code execution means that attackers could gain complete control over the security gateway, potentially allowing them to bypass security controls, access sensitive network traffic, or establish persistent backdoors within the organization's infrastructure. The denial of service aspect creates additional operational concerns as the daemon crash would disrupt security services, leaving network traffic unfiltered and potentially exposing the organization to other attacks. Organizations using these vulnerable versions face significant risk of both service disruption and security breaches, particularly in environments where the gateway serves as a critical security control point.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, which describes heap-based buffer overflow conditions, and represents a classic example of improper input validation in security-critical applications. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving command and control communications and privilege escalation through service exploitation. The attack surface is particularly concerning as it requires minimal sophistication to exploit, making it attractive to both automated attack tools and skilled adversaries. Organizations should prioritize immediate remediation through the available security patches provided by CA Technologies, as the vulnerability affects core security infrastructure components that are essential for maintaining network security posture. Additionally, network segmentation and monitoring should be implemented to detect potential exploitation attempts, while regular security assessments should verify that all instances of the affected software have been properly updated to mitigate the risk of heap memory corruption attacks.