MPSB05-11 Administrator Interface Denial of Service Vulnerability in Flash Media Server
Originally posted: December 15, 2005
Summary
This bulletin addresses a publicly reported security issue with Flash Media Server.
Affected Software Versions
- Flash Media Server 2.0
- Flash Media Server 1.5
Severity Rating
Adobe categorizes this issue as a important issue and recommends users implement this workaround to their installations.
Details
Remote Administrator Interface Denial of Service Vulnerability
Flash Media Server remote administrator interface connects using TCP to port 1111. An error exists in the way that the server handles malformed data allowing a remote attacker to crash the administrator service.
Note: This vulnerability does not prevent the Flash Media Server from streaming content.
Solution
NOTE: Back up your existing files before making changes. As always, test the changes in a non-production environment before applying the changes to production servers.
Adobe has tested the following workarounds for Flash Media Server. These workarounds will not eliminate the underlying vulnerability; however, they will limit your exposure to attacks.
Block Access via Firewall
The Flash Media Server should always be deployed within a Demilitarized Zone (DMZ – network segment between the internet and a LAN). Network access controls (VPN) should be in place to restrict who has access to the trusted DMZ. Most importantly, a firewall should be used to restrict the ports allowed in and out of the DMZ. Currently, Adobe’s Flash Media Server deployment procedures recommend that the Administrator port (1111) be blocked from public networks (i.e., Internet) via a firewall. Customers should continue this practice.
Restrict the IP(s) allowed to access the Administrator service.
Most modern operating system have firewalls built in that can restrict allowed IP addresses; for example, IPTables on Unix/Linux and IP Security Policy on Windows. To set up your host based firewall, please refer to your operating system documentation. Adobe recommends limiting access to localhost (127.0.0.1).
Disable the Administrator Service on production systems.
Since the Administrator and Flash Media service run as different non-dependent processes, the Administrator service can be disabled without effecting streaming content delivery.
For more information on Flash Media Server security visit: http://www.macromedia.com/devnet/flashcom/articles/security_setup.html
Revisions
December 15, 2005 — Bulletin first created.
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