CVE-2015-2058 in Open Source Server
Summary
by MITRE
c2s/c2s.c in Jabber Open Source Server 2.3.2 and earlier truncates data without ensuring it remains valid UTF-8, which allows remote authenticated users to read system memory or possibly have other unspecified impact via a crafted JID.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/09/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-2058 affects the Jabber Open Source Server version 2.3.2 and earlier, specifically within the c2s/c2s.c component responsible for handling client-to-server communication. This issue represents a critical memory safety flaw that stems from improper handling of Unicode data during JID (Jabber ID) processing. The vulnerability occurs when the server receives a crafted JID that contains invalid UTF-8 sequences, which are then truncated without proper validation of the resulting data integrity.
The technical flaw manifests as a buffer truncation operation that does not maintain UTF-8 encoding validity, creating a condition where malformed data can be processed and subsequently accessed by the server's memory management systems. When authenticated users submit maliciously constructed JIDs, the truncation process can cause the server to read beyond intended memory boundaries, potentially exposing sensitive system information or allowing for further exploitation. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-122 category of buffer overflow conditions, specifically involving heap-based buffer overflows that occur during data processing operations.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it can enable remote authenticated attackers to potentially execute arbitrary code or gain unauthorized access to system resources. The fact that the vulnerability requires authentication makes it less likely to be exploited at scale, but it still represents a significant risk to systems where privileged users may be compromised. The memory read operations could expose sensitive data such as session tokens, user credentials, or system configuration details that could be leveraged for further attacks within the network.
Security practitioners should implement immediate mitigations including upgrading to patched versions of the Jabber Open Source Server, implementing proper input validation for JID processing, and monitoring for suspicious authentication patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper UTF-8 validation in network protocols and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter, as attackers could potentially use the memory exposure to gain additional system access. Organizations should also consider implementing network segmentation and access controls to limit the potential impact of authenticated attacks, while regular security assessments should verify proper handling of Unicode data in all communication protocols to prevent similar vulnerabilities from emerging in other components.