CVE-2015-2894 in Uptime Infrastructure Monitor
Summary
by MITRE
Format string vulnerability in the up.time client in Idera Uptime Infrastructure Monitor 6.0 and 7.2 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) via format string specifiers.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/06/2024
The CVE-2015-2894 vulnerability represents a critical format string flaw within the up.time client component of Idera Uptime Infrastructure Monitor versions 6.0 and 7.2. This vulnerability resides in the client-side application that monitors infrastructure components, making it a significant concern for organizations relying on this monitoring solution. The flaw manifests when the application processes user-supplied input containing format string specifiers without proper validation or sanitization, creating an exploitable condition that can be leveraged by remote attackers to disrupt service operations.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from improper handling of format strings within the client application's input processing routines. When the up.time client receives data containing format specifiers such as %s, %d, or %x, it fails to properly validate or escape these characters before processing them in printf or similar formatting functions. This oversight allows malicious actors to inject crafted format specifiers that can manipulate the application's execution flow, leading to memory corruption and ultimately causing the application to crash or terminate unexpectedly. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and does not require authentication, making it particularly dangerous in networked environments.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service, as it can severely disrupt infrastructure monitoring capabilities that organizations depend upon for operational continuity. When the up.time client crashes due to format string exploitation, it results in loss of monitoring data, potential gaps in system visibility, and may require manual intervention to restore services. This disruption can be particularly damaging in enterprise environments where continuous monitoring is critical for maintaining service availability and detecting system anomalies. The vulnerability's remote exploitability means that attackers can trigger the crash from outside the network perimeter, potentially causing widespread disruption to monitoring infrastructure.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should prioritize immediate remediation through official patches provided by Idera, as the flaw represents a clear violation of secure coding practices that aligns with CWE-134, which specifically addresses the use of format strings without proper validation. The attack surface for this vulnerability can be mitigated through network segmentation, firewall rules restricting access to monitoring ports, and implementing proper input validation controls. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to the T1499.004 technique involving network denial of service, and represents a critical weakness in the application's defensive posture that organizations must address through comprehensive security hardening and regular vulnerability assessments.