CVE-2015-2080 in httpd
Summary
by MITRE
The exception handling code in Eclipse Jetty before 9.2.9.v20150224 allows remote attackers to obtain sensitive information from process memory via illegal characters in an HTTP header, aka JetLeak.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/29/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-2080 represents a critical information disclosure flaw within the Eclipse Jetty web server software family. This vulnerability specifically affects versions prior to 9.2.9.v20150224 and stems from improper exception handling mechanisms within the HTTP header processing logic. The flaw enables remote attackers to extract sensitive data from the process memory of affected systems through carefully crafted illegal characters within HTTP headers, creating a significant security risk for organizations relying on Jetty as their web server platform.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the inadequate sanitization and handling of malformed HTTP headers within the Jetty server implementation. When the server encounters illegal characters in HTTP headers, the exception handling code fails to properly manage these malformed inputs, resulting in unintended memory exposure. This occurs because the server's internal memory structures containing sensitive information are inadvertently leaked to remote attackers through the error response mechanisms. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-200, which specifically addresses "Information Exposure Through Output Files," and more precisely aligns with CWE-125, "Out-of-Bounds Read," as the improper memory access leads to sensitive data disclosure.
The operational impact of CVE-2015-2080 extends beyond simple information leakage, as the sensitive data exposed can include session tokens, authentication credentials, application data, and potentially system-level information that could be leveraged for further attacks. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by sending specially crafted HTTP requests containing illegal characters in headers, which triggers the flawed exception handling and results in memory dumps being returned in error responses. This vulnerability directly maps to ATT&CK technique T1005, "Data from Local System," and T1082, "System Information Discovery," as it enables adversaries to extract system-level information from process memory.
Organizations utilizing affected Jetty versions should implement immediate mitigations including upgrading to version 9.2.9.v20150224 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address the improper exception handling. Additionally, network-level protections such as web application firewalls can be configured to detect and block requests containing illegal characters in HTTP headers, providing an additional layer of defense. Security teams should also conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify any systems running vulnerable Jetty versions and implement proper input validation mechanisms to prevent similar issues in other applications. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper exception handling in server-side applications and highlights the need for robust security testing practices that include malformed input validation to prevent information disclosure attacks.