Flaw Found in Apache HTTP Server
eWeek | at | by Mike
A buffer overrun vulnerability in the Apache HTTP server included with many popular Web servers enables an attacker to execute code on vulnerable machines. The flaw lies in the way that the server handles data transmissions of unknown size. Typically, these transmissions are broken into "chunks" for easier handling. But Apache's HTTP server misinterprets the size of the chunks, which leads to an overrun of the heap memory, according to an advisory published Monday by Internet Security Systems Inc.'s X-Force research team.
The vulnerability can be exploited remotely by way of a carefully crafted invalid request to the server, and the flawed functionality is enabled by default. Exploiting the flaw could either lead to a denial of service on the machine or the execution of malicious code.