CVE-2014-3971 in MongoDB
Summary
by MITRE
The CmdAuthenticate::_authenticateX509 function in db/commands/authentication_commands.cpp in mongod in MongoDB 2.6.x before 2.6.2 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (daemon crash) by attempting authentication with an invalid X.509 client certificate.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/02/2022
The vulnerability described in CVE-2014-3971 represents a critical denial of service flaw within the MongoDB database system that affects versions 2.6.x prior to 2.6.2. This issue resides in the CmdAuthenticate::_authenticateX509 function located in the db/commands/authentication_commands.cpp file, which handles X.509 certificate-based authentication mechanisms. The flaw manifests when remote attackers exploit a weakness in how the system processes invalid X.509 client certificates during the authentication process, leading to a complete daemon crash that disrupts database operations and availability. This vulnerability directly impacts the reliability and operational continuity of MongoDB deployments that rely on X.509 authentication methods.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and error handling within the X.509 certificate authentication pathway. When an invalid X.509 certificate is presented during authentication attempts, the CmdAuthenticate::_authenticateX509 function fails to properly handle the malformed certificate data, resulting in an unhandled exception that causes the mongod daemon to terminate unexpectedly. This represents a classic buffer overflow or memory corruption scenario where improper validation leads to system instability. The vulnerability operates at the protocol level of MongoDB's authentication system and can be exploited remotely without requiring authentication credentials, making it particularly dangerous in networked environments.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates significant risks for database administrators and system operators who depend on MongoDB for critical data services. The daemon crash resulting from this vulnerability can lead to complete service disruption, requiring manual intervention to restart the database service and potentially causing data unavailability for applications relying on MongoDB. The impact extends beyond simple service interruption as it may affect automated failover mechanisms and can be exploited as part of broader attack campaigns targeting database infrastructure. Organizations using MongoDB with X.509 authentication are particularly vulnerable since the attack vector requires only network access to the database port, making it accessible to attackers with minimal privileges.
Security professionals should recognize this vulnerability as a variant of CWE-248, which encompasses "Uncaught Exception" conditions in software systems, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.1 for Network Denial of Service attacks. The flaw demonstrates poor defensive programming practices where error conditions are not properly managed, leading to system instability. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including upgrading to MongoDB 2.6.2 or later versions where this vulnerability has been patched, and consider implementing network-level access controls to limit exposure of database ports to trusted networks only. Additionally, monitoring systems should be configured to detect and alert on authentication failures that might indicate exploitation attempts, while implementing proper certificate management practices to reduce the likelihood of invalid certificates reaching the authentication layer.