CVE-2021-20108 : Security Advisory and Response

This article provides detailed information about CVE-2021-20108, a vulnerability in Manage Engine Asset Explorer Agent 1.0.34 that could be exploited by a remote attacker to cause a denial of service (DoS) scenario.

Understanding CVE-2021-20108

This section delves into the specifics of the vulnerability affecting Manage Engine Asset Explorer Agent 1.0.34.

What is CVE-2021-20108?

Manage Engine Asset Explorer Agent 1.0.34, when receiving unverified HTTPS commands, suffers from memory leaks due to improper memory handling.

The Impact of CVE-2021-20108

The vulnerability can be exploited by an attacker on the network to repeatedly send commands, leading to a denial of service condition and potential system crashes.

Technical Details of CVE-2021-20108

This section provides more technical insights into the vulnerability.

Vulnerability Description

AEAgent.cpp in Manage Engine Asset Explorer Agent 1.0.34 allocates memory but fails to free it, resulting in memory leaks that can be exploited for DoS attacks.

Affected Systems and Versions

The vulnerability affects Manage Engine Asset Explorer Agent version 1.0.34.

Exploitation Mechanism

By sending repeated commands to the agent over port 9000, an attacker can exhaust system memory, leading to a DoS situation.

Mitigation and Prevention

Learn how to protect your systems from CVE-2021-20108.

Immediate Steps to Take

To mitigate the risk, consider implementing network segmentation and firewall rules to limit access to affected agents.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update and patch the Manage Engine Asset Explorer Agent to prevent known vulnerabilities.

Patching and Updates

Stay informed about security advisories from Manage Engine and promptly apply patches to secure your systems.