Check Point Advisories

SpamAssassin Spamd Configurable Options Code Execution (CVE-2006-2447)

Vulnerability
Protection

Check Point Reference:	CPAI-2006-247
Date Published:	1 Dec 2009
Severity:	Medium
Last Updated:	Tuesday 01 December, 2009
Source:
Industry Reference:	CVE-2006-2447
Protection Provided by:	Security Gateway R81, R80, R77, R75
Who is Vulnerable?
Vulnerability Description	SpamAssassin is a mail filter which attempts to identify spam using a variety of mechanisms, including text analysis, DNS blocklists, and collaborative filtering databases. The product is also embedded in numerous commercial anti-spam products offered by a broad range of vendors. There are numerous options with which SpamAssassin can be configured in order to customize or extend its functionality. A code execution vulnerability exists in the SpamAssassin spamd daemon when using both the Vpopmail and the Paranoid options. The vulnerability exists in the virtual pop mechanism when processing the username passed to it when the vpopmail mechanism is enabled. An unauthenticated remote attacker may leverage the vulnerability to execute arbitrary commands in the security context of the running spamd daemon process. In case of a successful code injection and execution, the behaviour of the target is dependent on the the intention of the executed code. Any code executed will be within the security context of the SpamAssassin spamd daemon process. The code execution happens in a subshell and normally the spamd service will continue to operate unaffected after the exploitation.

Protection Overview

This protection will detect and block attempts to exploit this vulnerability

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

Security Gateway R80 / R77 / R75

In the IPS tab, click Protections and find the SpamAssassin Spamd Configurable Options Code Execution protection using the Search tool and Edit the protection's settings.
Install policy on all Security Gateways.

This protection's log will contain the following information:

Attack Name: Security Products Enforcement Violation.
Attack Information: SpamAssassin spamd configurable options code execution