CVE-2013-6002 in Garoon
Summary
by MITRE
The server in Cybozu Garoon before 3.7 SP1 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (CPU consumption) via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/02/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2013-6002 affects the server component of Cybozu Garoon version 3.6 and earlier, representing a significant security flaw that enables remote attackers to execute denial of service attacks through excessive cpu consumption. This vulnerability resides within the server-side processing mechanisms of the Garoon collaboration platform, which is widely used for enterprise communication and workflow management. The unspecified vectors suggest that the attack could be triggered through various input methods or processing scenarios within the server application, making the vulnerability particularly concerning due to its broad potential attack surface. The impact of this flaw extends beyond simple service disruption as it can consume system resources to the point where legitimate users cannot access the service, effectively rendering the collaboration platform unusable for its intended purpose.
The technical nature of this vulnerability falls under the category of resource exhaustion attacks, specifically targeting cpu utilization rather than memory or network bandwidth. This type of vulnerability typically occurs when the server fails to properly validate or limit the processing of incoming requests, allowing malicious actors to submit crafted inputs that trigger computationally expensive operations. The vulnerability's classification aligns with CWE-400, which covers "Uncontrolled Resource Consumption" and represents a fundamental weakness in resource management within the application. Attackers can exploit this flaw by sending specially crafted requests that cause the server to perform intensive processing operations, leading to sustained high cpu usage that can eventually crash or severely degrade system performance. The lack of specific vector details in the original description indicates that multiple attack paths may exist, potentially including malformed data processing, recursive operations, or inefficient algorithm implementations within the server's request handling code.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses a serious threat to enterprise environments that rely on Cybozu Garoon for critical business processes, as it can effectively disable collaboration services and impact productivity across organizations. The remote nature of the attack means that adversaries do not require physical access or local privileges to exploit the vulnerability, making it particularly dangerous for publicly accessible systems. Organizations using affected versions of Garoon may experience service outages, reduced system responsiveness, and potential data access interruptions that can cascade into broader business disruptions. The vulnerability's impact is further amplified by the fact that it affects the core server functionality, meaning that even legitimate users may be unable to access collaboration features during an active attack. The attack could be particularly damaging in environments where Garoon serves as a central communication hub for business operations, as it could effectively paralyze enterprise workflows and collaboration efforts.
The recommended mitigation strategy involves immediate deployment of the security patch released by Cybozu as part of the 3.7 SP1 update, which addresses the underlying cpu consumption issue through improved request validation and resource management controls. Organizations should also implement network-level protections such as rate limiting and access controls to reduce the impact of potential attacks, while monitoring system resources for unusual cpu usage patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. Additionally, security teams should conduct thorough vulnerability assessments of their Garoon installations to identify any other potential resource exhaustion vulnerabilities within the platform or its dependencies. The mitigation approach should align with defensive security practices outlined in the mitre ATT&CK framework under the "Resource Exhaustion" tactic, specifically targeting the server-side resource consumption techniques that attackers may employ. Organizations should also consider implementing intrusion detection systems that can identify and alert on suspicious resource usage patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. Regular security updates and patch management procedures should be strengthened to prevent similar vulnerabilities from remaining unaddressed in future deployments.