CVE-2020-14230 in Domino
Summary
by MITRE • 11/22/2020
HCL Domino is susceptible to a Denial of Service vulnerability caused by improper validation of user-supplied input. A remote unauthenticated attacker could exploit this vulnerability using a specially-crafted email message to hang the server. Versions previous to releases 9.0.1 FP10 IF6, 10.0.1 FP5 and 11.0.1 are affected.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/09/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-14230 represents a critical denial of service weakness within HCL Domino email server software that stems from inadequate input validation mechanisms. This flaw specifically manifests when the system processes user-supplied data through email message handling routines, creating an avenue for malicious actors to disrupt normal server operations. The vulnerability affects multiple major versions of the Domino platform, including releases prior to 9.0.1 FP10 IF6, 10.0.1 FP5, and 11.0.1, indicating a widespread impact across the product's lifecycle. The issue falls under the category of improper input validation as classified by CWE-20, which is a fundamental weakness in software design that allows malicious inputs to bypass security checks and potentially cause system instability.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the manipulation of email message content that is processed by the Domino server. When an attacker crafts a specially formatted email message containing malformed or specially constructed data elements, the server's input validation routines fail to properly sanitize or reject these inputs. This failure causes the server to enter a state where it becomes unresponsive or enters an infinite loop while attempting to process the malicious input, effectively creating a denial of service condition. The attack does not require authentication, making it particularly dangerous as any remote user can potentially exploit this weakness without prior access credentials.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption, as it can lead to significant business continuity issues for organizations relying on Domino email infrastructure. When the server becomes unresponsive due to this flaw, legitimate email services are interrupted, potentially affecting thousands of users within an organization. The vulnerability's remote nature means that attackers can exploit it from anywhere on the internet, making it a particularly attractive target for malicious actors seeking to disrupt email services. Organizations may experience extended downtime while administrators work to identify and mitigate the issue, potentially leading to productivity losses and potential data communication delays.
Organizations affected by CVE-2020-14230 should immediately implement the vendor-provided patches for their specific Domino server versions to address this vulnerability. The recommended mitigation strategy involves upgrading to the patched releases mentioned in the advisory, specifically versions 9.0.1 FP10 IF6, 10.0.1 FP5, and 11.0.1. Additionally, network administrators should consider implementing email filtering rules that can detect and block suspicious message patterns that might exploit this vulnerability. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability aligns with the T1499.004 technique related to network denial of service attacks, and organizations should implement monitoring to detect unusual server resource consumption patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability also demonstrates the importance of input validation controls as outlined in the CWE-20 category, emphasizing the need for robust sanitization of all external data inputs to prevent similar issues in other components of the email infrastructure.