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Preemptive Protection against Ipswitch IMail Server Mailing List Message Subject Buffer Overflow Vulnerability

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Check Point Reference: CPAI-2010-142
Date Published:
Preemptive Since:
Severity:
Last Updated:
Source: Secunia Advisory SA40638
Protection Provided by: Security Gateway
  • R75
IPS-1
  • IPS-1
  • IPS-1 NGX R65
Who is Vulnerable?
Ipswitch IMail Server 11.x
Vulnerability Description
A buffer overflow vulnerability exists in Ipswitch IMail Server, a mail server product designed for medium to large size organizations. The vulnerability is due a boundary error in the imailsrv.exe which handles messages sent to the imailsrv. A remote attacker can exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted message to the affected service.
Update/Patch Available
The vendor has not released an advisory addressing this vulnerability.
Vulnerability Details
A buffer overflow vulnerability exists in the Ipswitch IMail mailing list subsystem. The vulnerable code does not properly handle messages that are sent to certain mailing lists and have crafted "Subject" header. Remote attackers could exploit this vulnerability by supplying a specially crafted Subject header to the server. Successful exploitation would allow for arbitrary code injection and execution.

Protection Overview
The protection will detect and block SMTP commands with mail headers whose length exceed the configured threshold.

In order for the protection to be activated, update your Security Gateway R75 product to the latest IPS update. For information on how to update IPS, go to SBP-2006-05, Protection tab and select the version of your choice. 

To configure the defense, select your product from the list below and follow the related protection steps.

Security Gateway: R75

How Can I Protect My Network?
1. In the IPS tab, click Protections > By Protocol > IPS Software Blade > Application Intelligence > Mail > SMTP.
2. In the right pane, double-click the Ipswitch IMail Server Mailing List Message Subject Buffer Overflow protection.
3. In the Protection Details window, click on Edit. Choose the protection's Action (Override IPS Policy with: Prevent/Detect), and apply Additional Settings.
4. Install policy on all modules.

How Do I Know if My Network is Under Attack?
SmartView Tracker will log the following entries: 

Attack Name: SMTP Protection Violation
Attack Information: Ipswitch IMail server mailing list message subject buffer overflow

IPS-1 & IPS-1 NGX R65

How Can I Protect My Network?
1. In the IPS-1 Policy Manager, click on the Protection tab.
2. In the Protection tree, click Application Intelligence > SMTP2, and select the Long Lines protection group
3. Click Long mail header (IPS-1 NGX R65 only).
4. In the configuration pane, under Settings, check Active.
5. In the configuration pane, set the value for 'Mail header length checks' to 562
5. Click on Install Policy.

How Do I Know if My Network is Under Attack?
Upon attack, the following entries will be logged:

 
Alert Name: SMTP Long Lines
Description: Long mail header