CVE-2018-25169
📋 TL;DR
AMPPS 2.7 contains a denial of service vulnerability where remote attackers can crash the service by sending malformed data to the default HTTP port. This affects all AMPPS 2.7 installations with the default configuration, allowing unauthenticated attackers to exhaust server resources and cause service unavailability.
💻 Affected Systems
- AMPPS
⚠️ Manual Verification Required
This CVE does not have specific version information in our database, so automatic vulnerability detection cannot determine if your system is affected.
Why? The CVE database entry doesn't specify which versions are vulnerable (no version ranges provided by the vendor/NVD).
🔒 Custom verification scripts are available for registered users. Sign up free to download automated test scripts.
- Review the CVE details at NVD
- Check vendor security advisories for your specific version
- Test if the vulnerability is exploitable in your environment
- Consider updating to the latest version as a precaution
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete service outage making AMPPS web server unavailable, potentially affecting all hosted websites and applications.
Likely Case
Service crashes requiring manual restart, causing temporary downtime for hosted applications.
If Mitigated
Minimal impact with proper network controls and monitoring in place.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploit code is publicly available and requires minimal technical skill to execute. Attackers can establish multiple socket connections and send malformed payloads.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: AMPPS 2.8 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://www.ampps.com/downloads
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Download AMPPS 2.8 or later from the official website. 2. Backup your current configuration and data. 3. Install the updated version. 4. Restart the AMPPS service.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Network Access Control
linuxRestrict access to AMPPS HTTP port (default 80) to trusted IP addresses only.
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 80 -s trusted_ip_range -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 80 -j DROP
Rate Limiting
linuxImplement connection rate limiting to prevent multiple socket connections from single sources.
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 80 -m state --state NEW -m recent --set
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 80 -m state --state NEW -m recent --update --seconds 60 --hitcount 20 -j DROP
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict network segmentation and firewall rules to limit access to AMPPS server
- Deploy web application firewall (WAF) or intrusion prevention system (IPS) to detect and block malformed HTTP requests
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check AMPPS version via control panel or by examining installation directory. Version 2.7 is vulnerable.Check Version:
On Linux: cat /usr/local/ampps/version.txt | On Windows: Check AMPPS control panel or Program Files\AMPPS\version.txtVerify Fix Applied:
After updating, verify AMPPS version shows 2.8 or later and test service stability under normal load.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Multiple connection attempts from single IP
- Service crash/restart events in AMPPS logs
- Unusual malformed HTTP requests in access logs
Network Indicators:
- High volume of TCP connections to port 80
- Multiple incomplete HTTP requests from same source
- Traffic patterns showing connection exhaustion attempts
SIEM Query:
source="ampps.log" ("crash" OR "restart" OR "error") AND dest_port=80 | stats count by src_ip