CVE-2014-7266 in Remote Service Manager
Summary
by MITRE
Algorithmic complexity vulnerability in Cybozu Remote Service Manager through 2.3.0 and 3.x through 3.1.2 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (CPU consumption) via vectors that trigger colliding hash-table keys. NOTE: this vulnerability exists because of an incomplete fix for CVE-2014-1983.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/09/2018
The CVE-2014-7266 vulnerability represents a critical algorithmic complexity issue within Cybozu Remote Service Manager versions up to 2.3.0 and 3.x up to 3.1.2. This flaw specifically targets the hash table implementation within the application's memory management system, creating a condition where malicious actors can exploit the system's handling of hash collisions to perform denial of service attacks. The vulnerability stems from an incomplete remediation of a previously identified weakness, CVE-2014-1983, which demonstrates the complexity of addressing algorithmic weaknesses in cryptographic and hashing implementations.
The technical mechanism of this vulnerability involves the manipulation of hash table operations through carefully crafted inputs that cause hash collisions. When the Remote Service Manager processes requests containing maliciously constructed data, it triggers a scenario where multiple distinct input values produce identical hash values, forcing the system to handle these collisions in a suboptimal manner. This results in the hash table's performance degrading significantly as it attempts to resolve these collisions, leading to excessive cpu consumption and ultimately system unresponsiveness. The flaw operates at the core level of the application's data structure handling, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited without requiring authentication or specialized privileges.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a severe risk to organizations relying on Cybozu Remote Service Manager for their remote access and management needs. Attackers can consume excessive system resources through relatively simple network requests, potentially causing complete service disruption for legitimate users. The impact extends beyond immediate denial of service as the sustained high cpu utilization can lead to system instability, performance degradation affecting other services, and potential cascading failures within larger network infrastructures. The vulnerability's remote exploitability means that attackers can target systems from anywhere on the network without physical access, making it particularly attractive for malicious actors seeking to disrupt business operations.
Security practitioners should recognize this vulnerability as a classic example of a hash collision attack that aligns with common attack patterns documented in the attack mitigation framework. The issue demonstrates how incomplete fixes can leave systems vulnerable to the same class of attacks, emphasizing the importance of comprehensive vulnerability remediation and thorough testing of security patches. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including updating to patched versions of the software, implementing rate limiting on incoming requests, and monitoring for unusual cpu utilization patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of following industry standards such as those defined in CWE categories related to hash table implementations and algorithmic complexity issues, which help security teams understand the root causes and develop appropriate defensive strategies against similar threats in other systems.