CVE-2020-6196 in BusinessObjects Mobile
Summary
by MITRE
SAP BusinessObjects Mobile (MobileBIService), version 4.2, allows an attacker to generate multiple requests, using which he can block all the threads resulting in a Denial of Service.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/11/2024
SAP BusinessObjects Mobile represents a critical component within enterprise business intelligence ecosystems, specifically designed to deliver mobile analytics and reporting capabilities to users across various devices. The MobileBIService component serves as the core service responsible for processing mobile requests and delivering analytical content to mobile clients. This vulnerability affects version 4.2 of the software, which has been widely deployed across enterprise environments where mobile business intelligence access is critical for decision-making processes. The service operates as a web-based interface that handles numerous concurrent requests from mobile applications, making it a prime target for denial of service attacks that could significantly impact business operations.
The technical flaw within MobileBIService stems from inadequate thread management and request processing mechanisms that fail to properly handle concurrent request volumes. An attacker can exploit this weakness by crafting multiple malicious requests that consume available thread resources within the service. The vulnerability specifically manifests when the service processes a high volume of requests without proper rate limiting or resource allocation controls. This allows an attacker to exhaust the thread pool available to the service, effectively preventing legitimate users from accessing mobile business intelligence applications. The flaw operates at the application layer where insufficient input validation and resource management controls enable the exploitation of thread exhaustion vulnerabilities. This weakness directly corresponds to CWE-400, which addresses unspecified denial of service conditions, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.004 related to network denial of service attacks.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service interruption, potentially causing significant business disruption for organizations relying on mobile business intelligence capabilities. When threads are consumed by malicious requests, legitimate users experience complete service unavailability, preventing access to critical business reports, dashboards, and analytical data needed for operational decision-making. This can result in productivity losses, delayed business processes, and potential financial impacts when executives and managers cannot access real-time business metrics. The vulnerability particularly affects organizations with high mobile usage patterns where the service handles numerous concurrent requests from various mobile devices. Security teams may also face challenges in detecting and mitigating such attacks since they appear as legitimate service requests consuming system resources rather than obvious malicious traffic patterns.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including rate limiting controls to restrict the number of requests per user or IP address within defined time intervals. Network-level controls such as firewalls and load balancers should be configured to monitor and restrict excessive request patterns that could indicate exploitation attempts. The service should be configured with appropriate thread pool limits to prevent complete resource exhaustion and implement proper request queuing mechanisms. Regular monitoring of service thread utilization and request processing patterns can help detect anomalous behavior indicative of this attack. Additionally, implementing application-level security controls including input validation, request throttling, and resource consumption monitoring provides layered defense against exploitation attempts. System administrators should also consider deploying intrusion detection systems that can identify unusual request patterns and automatically trigger alerts when excessive concurrent requests are detected. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper resource management and access controls within enterprise mobile applications, emphasizing the need for comprehensive security testing and monitoring of critical business services.