CVE-2017-17088 in SyncBreeze Enterprise
Summary
by MITRE
The Enterprise version of SyncBreeze 10.2.12 and earlier is affected by a Remote Denial of Service vulnerability. The web server does not check bounds when reading server requests in the Host header on making a connection, resulting in a classic Buffer Overflow that causes a Denial of Service.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/18/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-17088 affects the Enterprise version of SyncBreeze software, specifically versions 10.2.12 and earlier, presenting a critical remote denial of service threat. This issue manifests within the web server component of the application that handles incoming connection requests through the Host header parameter. The flaw represents a classic buffer overflow condition that occurs when the system fails to validate input boundaries during request processing. The absence of proper bounds checking during Host header parsing creates an exploitable condition where maliciously crafted requests can cause the application to crash or become unresponsive.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation mechanisms within the SyncBreeze web server module. When processing HTTP requests, the system reads the Host header value without performing sufficient boundary checks to ensure the input length remains within acceptable parameters. This omission allows attackers to submit Host header values that exceed the allocated buffer space, triggering memory corruption that results in application termination. The buffer overflow occurs at the point where server-side code attempts to store the Host header data in a fixed-size memory buffer, causing adjacent memory locations to be overwritten and ultimately leading to a crash condition.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risks to organizations relying on SyncBreeze Enterprise for file synchronization and management services. The remote denial of service condition can be exploited by attackers without requiring authentication or prior access to the system, making it particularly dangerous in networked environments. Service availability is compromised as the affected web server becomes unresponsive to legitimate requests, potentially disrupting file synchronization operations and business continuity. The vulnerability affects the core functionality of the application's web interface, which serves as the primary means for remote management and monitoring of synchronization tasks.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, which describes heap-based buffer overflow conditions, and represents a direct violation of secure coding practices that emphasize proper input validation and boundary checking. From an adversarial perspective, this flaw maps to ATT&CK technique T1499.004, which covers network denial of service attacks, and T1595.001, involving reconnaissance for vulnerabilities in remote systems. Organizations utilizing affected versions of SyncBreeze should implement immediate mitigations including upgrading to patched versions, implementing network-level restrictions to limit access to the web server component, and monitoring for unusual connection patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts.
Mitigation strategies should prioritize the immediate deployment of vendor-supplied patches and updates to address the buffer overflow condition in the Host header processing. Network segmentation and access controls should be implemented to limit exposure of the vulnerable web server component to untrusted networks. Additional protective measures include implementing web application firewalls that can detect and block malformed Host header requests, establishing monitoring procedures for unusual service disruption patterns, and conducting vulnerability assessments to identify other potential buffer overflow conditions within the application. Organizations should also consider implementing intrusion detection systems that can identify exploitation attempts targeting this specific vulnerability pattern.