CVE-2002-0053 in Windows
Summary
by MITRE
Buffer overflow in SNMP agent service in Windows 95/98/98SE, Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, and Windows XP allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service or execute arbitrary code via a malformed management request. NOTE: this candidate may be split or merged with other candidates. This and other PROTOS-related candidates, especially CVE-2002-0012 and CVE-2002-0013, will be updated when more accurate information is available.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/23/2025
The vulnerability described in CVE-2002-0053 represents a critical buffer overflow flaw within the SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) agent service across multiple Windows operating systems including Windows 95/98/98SE, Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, and Windows XP. This issue stems from inadequate input validation within the SNMP management request processing mechanism, creating a condition where maliciously crafted packets can exceed the allocated buffer space and overwrite adjacent memory regions. The vulnerability falls under CWE-121, which specifically addresses stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter usage in exploitation contexts. The affected SNMP agent service processes management requests without proper bounds checking, allowing attackers to manipulate the request structure to trigger the overflow condition.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability exploits the fundamental flaw in how the SNMP agent handles incoming requests through the protocol's request parsing logic. When a malformed management request is received, the agent fails to validate the length or structure of the incoming data before copying it into fixed-size buffers. This allows attackers to inject data that exceeds the buffer capacity, causing memory corruption that can be leveraged to redirect program execution flow. The buffer overflow occurs during the processing of SNMP management requests, specifically when handling certain variable bindings or PDU (Protocol Data Unit) structures within the SNMP message format. The vulnerability affects the core SNMP agent functionality that operates on standard UDP ports 161 and 162, making it accessible over network boundaries without requiring authentication. The flaw demonstrates the classic pattern of insufficient input validation that has been documented in numerous security advisories and represents a fundamental weakness in the Windows network services architecture of that era.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service to include potential remote code execution capabilities, making it a serious security concern for affected systems. When successfully exploited, the buffer overflow can cause the SNMP agent service to crash, resulting in a denial of service that disrupts network management operations and potentially affects other services dependent on the SNMP infrastructure. More critically, attackers can leverage the memory corruption to inject and execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the SNMP service account, which typically runs with elevated system privileges. This allows for complete system compromise and persistence within the affected network environment. The vulnerability affects enterprise networks where SNMP is commonly used for network monitoring and management, creating a significant risk for organizations that do not properly patch their systems. The exploitability of this vulnerability is enhanced by the fact that SNMP agents are often enabled by default on Windows systems and accessible across network boundaries, making the attack surface particularly large.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2002-0053 should focus on immediate patching of affected systems through Microsoft security updates, as well as network-level controls to restrict SNMP access. Organizations should implement network segmentation to limit access to SNMP ports 161 and 162 to trusted management stations only, utilizing firewall rules and access control lists to prevent unauthorized access. The recommended approach includes disabling SNMP services on systems where they are not required, implementing SNMPv3 with strong authentication and encryption mechanisms, and monitoring for suspicious SNMP traffic patterns. System administrators should also consider implementing intrusion detection systems that can identify malformed SNMP requests and alert on potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper input validation and memory management in network services, and serves as a historical example of how protocol implementation flaws can lead to severe security consequences. Organizations should conduct thorough vulnerability assessments to identify all systems running SNMP services and ensure they are properly patched according to Microsoft's security advisory guidelines. Additionally, implementing network monitoring solutions that can detect anomalous SNMP traffic patterns provides an additional layer of defense against exploitation attempts.