CVE-2024-48871 in Planet WGS-804HPT
Summary
by MITRE • 12/06/2024
The affected product is vulnerable to a stack-based buffer overflow. An unauthenticated attacker could send a malicious HTTP request that the webserver fails to properly check input size before copying data to the stack, potentially allowing remote code execution.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/07/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-48871 represents a critical stack-based buffer overflow flaw that exists within the affected web server product. This vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation mechanisms that fail to properly check the size of incoming HTTP request data before attempting to copy it onto the stack memory. The flaw specifically manifests when the web server processes maliciously crafted HTTP requests that exceed the allocated buffer space, creating conditions ripe for exploitation. Such a vulnerability fundamentally undermines the application's memory safety mechanisms and creates a potential entry point for unauthorized actors to gain control over the affected system.
The technical nature of this buffer overflow vulnerability places it squarely within the scope of CWE-121, which describes stack-based buffer overflow conditions where insufficient bounds checking allows attackers to overwrite adjacent memory locations. The vulnerability occurs during the HTTP request processing phase when user-supplied data is directly copied to a stack-allocated buffer without proper size validation. This flaw creates a predictable memory layout where the overflow can overwrite return addresses, saved registers, and other critical stack metadata. The unauthenticated nature of the attack vector significantly amplifies the risk as any external party can exploit this vulnerability without requiring prior credentials or access privileges.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability presents a severe threat to system integrity and availability. Successful exploitation of CVE-2024-48871 can lead to remote code execution, allowing attackers to execute arbitrary commands on the vulnerable system with the privileges of the web server process. The attack can potentially result in complete system compromise, data exfiltration, or establishment of persistent backdoors. Organizations running affected web server software face significant risk of unauthorized access, service disruption, and potential lateral movement within their network infrastructure. The vulnerability's ability to be exploited through simple HTTP requests makes it particularly dangerous as it can be triggered by automated scanning tools or malicious actors with minimal technical expertise.
The exploitation of this vulnerability aligns with several techniques documented in the ATT&CK framework under the T1059 category for command and scripting interpreter, as successful exploitation would enable attackers to execute malicious code. Additionally, the vulnerability may facilitate lateral movement through T1021.001 for remote services and privilege escalation via T1068. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including input validation controls, stack protection mechanisms, and web application firewalls to prevent exploitation attempts. The recommended approach includes applying vendor-provided patches as soon as they become available, implementing proper HTTP request size limits, and deploying intrusion detection systems to monitor for suspicious HTTP traffic patterns. Network segmentation and access control measures should also be reinforced to limit the potential impact should exploitation occur.
This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper input validation and memory safety practices in web server implementations. The flaw represents a fundamental failure in secure coding practices and highlights the necessity for comprehensive security testing including fuzzing and memory corruption vulnerability assessments. Organizations should conduct thorough vulnerability assessments of their web server configurations and ensure that all systems are updated with the latest security patches. The incident underscores the need for robust security monitoring and incident response procedures to detect and respond to exploitation attempts effectively. Regular security audits and code reviews focusing on memory handling practices are essential to prevent similar vulnerabilities from emerging in future software releases.