CVE-2018-6237 in Smart Protection Server
Summary
by MITRE
A vulnerability in Trend Micro Smart Protection Server (Standalone) 3.x could allow an unauthenticated remote attacker to manipulate the product to send a large number of specially crafted HTTP requests to potentially cause the file system to fill up, eventually causing a denial of service (DoS) situation.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/09/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-6237 affects Trend Micro Smart Protection Server Standalone version 3.x, representing a significant security weakness that enables unauthenticated remote attackers to exploit the system for denial of service purposes. This flaw resides within the HTTP request handling mechanism of the security appliance, creating an avenue for malicious actors to manipulate the system's behavior through crafted requests. The vulnerability specifically targets the file system management capabilities of the appliance, allowing attackers to trigger excessive resource consumption that ultimately leads to system instability and service disruption.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and resource management within the HTTP request processing pipeline of the Smart Protection Server. When the system receives specially crafted HTTP requests, it fails to properly validate the request parameters and does not implement sufficient rate limiting or resource allocation controls. This allows an attacker to send multiple requests that cause the appliance to generate excessive file system activity, leading to rapid disk space exhaustion. The flaw operates at the application layer and leverages the server's legitimate HTTP processing capabilities to amplify the attack vector, making it particularly dangerous as it requires no authentication credentials to exploit.
The operational impact of CVE-2018-6237 extends beyond simple service disruption, as it can effectively render the entire security appliance unusable for its intended protective functions. When the file system becomes filled with maliciously generated content, the appliance cannot properly log events, maintain security policies, or process legitimate traffic, creating a cascading failure that compromises the organization's overall security posture. This vulnerability directly maps to CWE-400, which addresses "Uncontrolled Resource Consumption" in software systems, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.004 for "Fragging" which involves resource exhaustion attacks. The attack can be executed remotely without requiring any privileged access, making it particularly attractive to threat actors seeking to disrupt security infrastructure.
Organizations utilizing Trend Micro Smart Protection Server version 3.x should immediately implement mitigations to address this vulnerability, including applying the vendor-provided security patches and updates. Network segmentation and firewall rules should be configured to limit access to the appliance's HTTP endpoints, while implementing rate limiting controls to prevent excessive request processing. Monitoring systems should be enhanced to detect unusual file system activity patterns and potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of proper input validation and resource management in security appliances, as outlined in the OWASP Top Ten and NIST cybersecurity frameworks. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify similar weaknesses in other network security components that may present similar attack vectors.