CVE-2013-2182 in HTTP Daemon
Summary
by MITRE
The Mandril security plugin in Monkey HTTP Daemon (monkeyd) before 1.5.0 allows remote attackers to bypass access restrictions via a crafted URI, as demonstrated by an encoded forward slash.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/23/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2013-2182 affects the Mandril security plugin within the Monkey HTTP Daemon (monkeyd) web server software. This issue represents a critical access control bypass flaw that enables remote attackers to circumvent authentication and authorization mechanisms through carefully crafted Uniform Resource Identifiers. The vulnerability specifically manifests when the system processes URIs containing encoded forward slashes, allowing malicious actors to traverse directory structures and access restricted resources without proper authentication. This weakness directly impacts the security model of the web server by undermining its ability to enforce access controls, potentially exposing sensitive data and system resources to unauthorized users.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation within the Mandril plugin's URI processing logic. When the system encounters a URI containing encoded forward slashes such as %2F which represents a forward slash character, the security plugin fails to properly normalize or validate the path structure. This parsing inconsistency allows attackers to craft malicious requests that appear to target legitimate resources while actually bypassing the intended access controls. The flaw operates at the application layer and leverages path traversal techniques that are commonly associated with directory traversal vulnerabilities, though the specific mechanism involves URI encoding manipulation rather than traditional path traversal methods.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to organizations relying on Monkey HTTP Daemon for web services. Remote attackers can exploit this weakness to access protected content, including administrative interfaces, configuration files, and sensitive data stored within the web server's directory structure. The impact extends beyond simple information disclosure to potentially enable further attacks such as privilege escalation, data manipulation, or complete system compromise depending on the level of access granted through the bypassed restrictions. The vulnerability's remote exploitability means that attackers do not require local system access or credentials to leverage the flaw, making it particularly dangerous in publicly accessible environments. Organizations using affected versions of monkeyd may experience unauthorized access to their web applications and underlying system resources without detection.
The mitigation strategy for CVE-2013-2182 requires immediate patching of the Monkey HTTP Daemon software to version 1.5.0 or later, which contains the necessary fixes for the URI processing vulnerability. System administrators should also implement additional security controls including input validation mechanisms, web application firewalls, and regular security assessments to prevent similar issues. Organizations should consider implementing strict URI normalization policies and monitoring for unusual access patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-22, which describes path traversal flaws, and relates to ATT&CK technique T1212, which covers exploitation of software vulnerabilities for privilege escalation and access control bypass. Regular security updates and vulnerability management processes are essential to prevent exploitation of similar issues in other web server components and applications.