CVE-2011-2735 in AutoStart
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple buffer overflows in EMC AutoStart 5.3.x and 5.4.x before 5.4.1 allow remote attackers to cause a denial of service (daemon crash) or possibly execute arbitrary code by sending a crafted message over TCP.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/12/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-2735 represents a critical security flaw affecting EMC AutoStart versions 5.3.x and 5.4.x prior to 5.4.1. This issue manifests as multiple buffer overflows within the daemon process that handles TCP communication, creating significant operational risks for organizations relying on EMC AutoStart for storage management. The vulnerability resides in the network protocol handling mechanisms where the software fails to properly validate input lengths before processing incoming TCP messages, leading to potential memory corruption scenarios.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and memory management practices within the AutoStart daemon. When remote attackers send specially crafted TCP messages to the affected service, the software processes these inputs without sufficient bounds checking, allowing attackers to overflow fixed-size buffers in memory. This buffer overflow condition can result in stack corruption or heap corruption depending on the specific implementation details, ultimately leading to unpredictable behavior including daemon crashes or potential code execution. The flaw specifically affects TCP-based communication channels where the daemon listens for management commands and status updates from remote clients.
The operational impact of CVE-2011-2735 extends beyond simple denial of service conditions to potentially enable remote code execution, making it particularly dangerous for enterprise environments. Organizations using affected EMC AutoStart versions face risks including unauthorized system compromise, data integrity violations, and service disruption that could affect critical storage infrastructure. The vulnerability's remote exploitability means attackers do not require physical access or local credentials to leverage the flaw, significantly expanding the attack surface. System administrators may experience unexpected daemon restarts, loss of storage management functionality, and potential unauthorized access to underlying storage systems.
Security professionals should note that this vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, which describes stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and CWE-122, which covers heap-based buffer overflow scenarios. The attack vector follows patterns consistent with ATT&CK technique T1203, where adversaries leverage application vulnerabilities to execute code remotely. Organizations should prioritize immediate patching to version 5.4.1 or later, as this update resolves the buffer overflow conditions through proper input validation and memory management. Network segmentation and firewall rules should be implemented to restrict TCP access to the AutoStart daemon, while monitoring systems should be deployed to detect unusual daemon behavior or connection patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts.
Additional mitigation strategies include implementing network access controls to limit TCP port exposure, conducting regular vulnerability assessments to identify other potentially affected systems, and establishing robust incident response procedures for handling potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper input validation in network services and highlights the need for regular security updates in enterprise storage management platforms. Organizations should also consider implementing intrusion detection systems to monitor for TCP traffic patterns consistent with exploitation attempts and maintain comprehensive backup and recovery procedures to ensure business continuity in case of successful exploitation.