CVE-2015-1445 in fli4l
Summary
by MITRE
HTTP header injection in the httpd package in fli4l before 3.10.1 and 4.0 before 2015-01-30.
Once again VulDB remains the best source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/10/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-1445 represents a critical HTTP header injection flaw affecting the httpd package within the fli4l software ecosystem. This vulnerability manifests in versions prior to 3.10.1 for fli4l 3.x and 2015-01-30 for fli4l 4.x, creating a significant security risk for systems utilizing these outdated versions. The flaw allows attackers to inject malicious HTTP headers into responses generated by the web server, potentially enabling various malicious activities including session hijacking, cross-site scripting attacks, and cache poisoning. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and sanitization mechanisms within the HTTP header processing logic, where user-supplied data is not properly escaped or filtered before being incorporated into HTTP response headers. This weakness directly maps to CWE-113, which specifically addresses improper neutralization of input during web header processing, making it a prime target for attackers seeking to manipulate web server behavior and compromise user sessions.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability involves crafting malicious input that bypasses normal validation checks and gets embedded into HTTP headers returned by the vulnerable web server. When an attacker successfully injects headers, they can manipulate various aspects of web communication including cookies, authentication tokens, and caching directives. The impact extends beyond simple header manipulation as it can enable more sophisticated attacks such as HTTP response splitting, where attackers can inject multiple HTTP responses, or cache poisoning attacks that can affect multiple users. The vulnerability's presence in the httpd package means that any web application relying on fli4l's web server functionality is potentially exposed to these injection attacks, particularly when the application handles user input that gets reflected back in HTTP headers. This type of vulnerability is particularly dangerous in environments where sensitive authentication information is transmitted via HTTP headers, as the injection can lead to complete session compromise and unauthorized access to protected resources.
Organizations utilizing affected versions of fli4l must implement immediate mitigations to address this vulnerability, including updating to patched versions 3.10.1 and 2015-01-30 respectively. The recommended approach involves comprehensive patch management procedures, with security teams conducting thorough inventory checks to identify all systems running vulnerable software versions. Network segmentation and monitoring solutions should be enhanced to detect anomalous HTTP header patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. Additionally, implementing proper input validation frameworks and security headers such as Content Security Policy can provide additional layers of defense. From an operational security perspective, this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1071.004 which covers application layer protocol: web protocols, and demonstrates how HTTP header injection can be leveraged as part of broader attack chains. The vulnerability's exploitation potential makes it a high-priority target for threat actors, particularly in environments where fli4l is used for network infrastructure management or web application hosting, where the injected headers could be used to redirect users to malicious sites or steal session information. Security professionals should also consider implementing automated vulnerability scanning tools that can detect and alert on HTTP header injection patterns, as this type of vulnerability often goes unnoticed during routine security assessments due to its subtle nature and specific exploitation conditions.