Anti-Web HTTPd 2.2 Script - Engine File Opening Denial of Service

Author: methodic
type: dos
platform: linux
port: 
date_added: 2002-01-04 
date_updated: 2012-09-09 
verified: 1 
codes: OSVDB-88017 
tags: 
aliases:  
screenshot_url:  
application_url: 

source: https://www.securityfocus.com/bid/3782/info

Anti-Web HTTPD is a freely available, open source web server designed for use on the Linux platform. It is maintained by Doug Hoyte.

Under certain circumstances awhttpd reacts unpredictably.

When a script is executed that opens a file that does not exist, awhttpd still attempts to open the file. When awhttpd attempts to close the non-existing file following the completion of the script, it becomes unstable and crashes, resulting in a denial of service.

a sample awhttpd script looks like this:
# test.cgi
--AWHTTPD SCRIPT--
echo "this is a test"
F:test.html