Top 5 High Severity Common Vulnerabilities found in Taiwan

Introduction to Cybersecurity Challenges

In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, where technology forms the backbone of business operations, security breaches have the potential to inflict substantial damage to both reputation and finances. Proactive vulnerability management has become a clear-cut answer in staying one step ahead of cyber threats. By pre-emptively preparing for potential cyber risks, organizations can identify and rectify security weaknesses before malicious hackers can exploit them. At 8iSoft, we prioritize technological literacy and aim to enlighten our readers on potential threats and effective preventive measures. Here are Top 5 Most Common Vulnerabilities frequently encountered in Taiwan from clients in over 10 industries. 

Understanding Vulnerability Severity Levels

Our ratings are scored based on The Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) and the scoring can be found below, with critical constituting the most urgent vulnerabilities. The different levels of vulnerabilities can be defined as: 

• Critical vulnerabilities can result in root-level compromise of system servers and should be patched or fixed as soon as possible. The suggested timeline is resolving the critical vulnerabilities within 2 weeks.  
• High vulnerabilities could result in significant data loss but can be tended to after critical vulnerabilities. The suggested timeline is resolving the high vulnerabilities within 4 weeks.  
• Medium vulnerabilities include exploitations that provide limited access to hackers and the urgency of the vulnerability is relatively low meaning that it can be patched after critical and high vulnerabilities. The suggested timeline is resolving the medium vulnerabilities within 6 weeks.  
• Low vulnerabilities typically have very little impact on organizations and are the lowest urgency for organizations to get to. The suggested timeline is resolving the low vulnerabilities within 25 weeks.

Top 5 Critical and High Severity Vulnerabilities

Now, here are our top 5 critical or high severity vulnerabilities found in Taiwan! 

1. SWEET32 vulnerability (CVE-2016-2183) 

19.5% of the companies we conducted the study on had the SSL/TLS: SWEET32 vulnerability 

SSL/TLS cryptographic protocol serves as a framework for confidential online communications. The SWEET32 vulnerability arises from the use of outdated and weak ciphers within SSL/TLS. These cryptographic algorithms are just like locks that protect digital information. Due to the outdatedness and weaknesses of their ciphers can be exploited by malicious actors to decrypt encrypted data and gain unauthorized access to sensitive information. Modernizing the encryption methods of your company is a good way of addressing this vulnerability.  

2. Memory access vulnerability in Apache HTTP Server 2.4.54 and earlier (CVE-2006-20001) 

9.1% of the companies we conducted the study on had the Memory access vulnerability in Apache HTTP Server 

The Apache HTTP Server’s primary function is to manage incoming requests and storing crucial data in memory. This vulnerability emerges when there is a lapse in managing access to this memory. Intruders can illicitly access this memory and retrieve data they’re not authorized to view, potentially leading to privacy breaches, and exposing sensitive information. Mitigation efforts can involve enhancing and updating memory access controls to thwart these unauthorized viewers. 

3. Apache HTTP Server 2.4.53 and Earlier Connection Header Bypass (CVE-2022-31813) 

8.6% of the companies we conducted the study on had the Earlier Connection Header Bypass vulnerability  

The Apache HTTP Server employs mechanisms to allow only legitimate and authorized requests while excluding unauthorized ones. The server is able to do this through examining the “Connection” header. However, malicious threats have found a way to bypass these checks. By manipulating/ crafting a “connection” header, hackers are able to appear like a legitimate party and bypass security measures, gaining unauthorized access to perform restricted actions. It is recommended that organizations implement more robust checks and validation procedures to ensure that the headers accurately reflect the nature of the request.  

4. Buffer Overflow in Apache HTTP Server Mod_lua Multipart Parser (CVE-2021-44790) 

7.9% of the companies we conducted the study on had the buffer overflow vulnerability  

Excessive data input exceeding a program’s capacity can disrupt program execution, leading it an event called a buffer overflow. This can result in systems displaying erratic behavior or instability. Attackers are able to capitalize on this vulnerability by creating input that exploits buffer overflows to gain unauthorized access or to execute malicious code. It is recommended that organizations should always validate and review their input data to prevent overflow.  

5. PHP 7.1.5 zend_string_extend Function Remote DoS Vulnerability (CVE-2017-8923) 

7.7% of the companies we conducted the study on had the zend_string_extend Function Remote DoS Vulnerability 

PHP 7.1.5 is a widely used programming language for web development. This vulnerability pertains to the zend_string_extend function and enables remote attackers to launch a Denial of Service (DoS) attack on the target system running PHP 7.1.5. An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by sending a specially crafted HTTP request to a vulnerable web server running PHP 7.1.5. This vulnerability allows attackers to remotely overload this function, causing the server to become unresponsive or crash. The impact of this vulnerability on the target system can be severe since it can cause a complete denial of service of the server to legitimate consumers. This can result in loss of business revenues, damage to reputation, and breach of confidentiality. The vulnerability can be mitigated by applying the security patch issued by PHP or upgrading to the latest version of PHP. 

While preemptive vulnerability management may initially seem daunting, 8iSoft YODA provides comprehensive support. With our free sneak peek security assessment report, users will be able to receive a score that evaluates how strong your company is in protecting against vulnerability threats. Our reports pinpoint specific vulnerabilities and OWASP top 10 vulnerabilities that are threatening your company. Your business’s safety is our priority!