CVE-2012-1985 in Helix Server
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in RealNetworks Helix Server and Helix Mobile Server 14.x before 14.3.x allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of administrators for requests that cause a denial of service (stack consumption and daemon crash) via a malformed URL.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/22/2021
The CVE-2012-1985 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw affecting RealNetworks Helix Server and Helix Mobile Server versions 14.x prior to 14.3.x. This vulnerability operates under the Common Weakness Enumeration CWE-352 category, which specifically addresses cross-site request forgery conditions where an attacker can trick authenticated users into executing unintended actions on a web application. The flaw enables remote attackers to exploit the authentication mechanisms of administrative accounts through carefully crafted malformed URLs, creating a significant security risk for media streaming server environments.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability exploits the server's insufficient validation of incoming requests, particularly those involving administrative functions that can trigger denial of service conditions. When an attacker crafts a malicious URL and convinces an authenticated administrator to visit it, the server processes the request without proper verification of the origin or authenticity of the request. This allows the attacker to leverage the administrator's elevated privileges to execute commands that consume stack memory resources and ultimately cause the server daemon to crash. The exploitation mechanism specifically targets the server's handling of malformed URLs that can trigger stack exhaustion conditions, leading to system instability and potential service disruption.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service to encompass potential unauthorized administrative access and system compromise. Attackers can exploit this weakness to disrupt critical media streaming services, potentially causing business interruption and revenue loss for organizations relying on Helix Server infrastructure. The vulnerability's remote nature means that attackers do not require physical access to the system or local network presence, making it particularly dangerous for organizations with exposed streaming server deployments. The daemon crash resulting from stack consumption represents a severe operational consequence that can affect continuous service availability and may require manual intervention to restore system functionality.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should implement immediate mitigations including updating to RealNetworks Helix Server 14.3.x or later versions that contain the necessary security patches. Network administrators should also consider implementing additional protective measures such as web application firewalls that can detect and block malformed URL patterns commonly associated with CSRF attacks. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper input validation and request origin verification in web applications, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1566.002 for credential access through phishing and web-based attacks. Security monitoring should include detection of unusual administrative request patterns and stack consumption anomalies that may indicate exploitation attempts, while regular security assessments should verify proper implementation of CSRF protection mechanisms.