IBM Lotus Domino IMAP Buffer Overflow Vulnerability
25 Oct. 2007
Summary
IBM Lotus Domino Server software provides messaging, calendaring and scheduling capabilities on a variety of operating systems. More information about the product is available at the following URL.
Remote exploitation of a buffer overflow vulnerability within IBM Corp.'s Lotus Domino allows attackers to execute arbitrary code in the context of the IMAP service.
Vulnerable Systems:
* Lotus Domino version 7.0.2.2 running on Linux as well as Windows Server 2003.
* Previous versions, as well as builds for other platforms, are suspected to be vulnerable.
This vulnerability exists within the IMAP component of a Domino Server. The problem specifically lies in the handling of mailbox names within specific commands. If a user has subscribed to a mailbox with an overly long name, certain commands will copy the user-supplied mailbox name into a fixed-size stack buffer without proper validation.
Exploitation allows attackers to execute arbitrary code in the context of the IMAP service. In order to conduct the attack, the attacker must be able to establish a TCP session with the IMAP service on TCP port 143. Valid credentials are required to access the vulnerable code.
Under Windows, the privileges gained are (by default) that of the SYSTEM user. This allows an attacker to take complete control of the compromised system.
Although the UNIX version of the service does not run as root, it does run as the same user as many other components of the Lotus Domino Server. Because of this an attacker may gain access to sensitive information or be able to maliciously subvert the system in other ways.
Workaround:
Employing firewalls to limit access to the affected service will mitigate exposure to this vulnerability.
