CVE-2002-0254 in ICQ
Summary
by MITRE
ICQ 2001b Build 3659 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) via a malformed picture that contains large height and width values, which causes the crash when viewed in Userdetails.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/06/2018
The vulnerability described in CVE-2002-0254 represents a classic buffer overflow condition that affected ICQ 2001b Build 3659, a popular instant messaging client from the early 2000s. This flaw specifically targeted the application's handling of image data within user details, creating a remote code execution vector that could be exploited by malicious actors to disrupt service availability. The vulnerability falls under the broader category of software defects that compromise system integrity and availability, with implications extending beyond simple denial of service to potential system compromise. The attack vector leverages malformed image metadata to trigger memory corruption, demonstrating how seemingly benign data processing can become a critical security weakness.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the client application's failure to properly validate image dimensions when processing user profile pictures. When a malicious user sends an image with excessively large height and width values, the ICQ client attempts to allocate memory based on these inflated dimensions without proper bounds checking. This results in a buffer overflow condition where the application's memory management fails to handle the oversized data structure, leading to memory corruption and subsequent application crash. The flaw is particularly dangerous because it requires no authentication or special privileges from the attacker, making it a straightforward remote exploitation vector. This type of vulnerability is classified as CWE-121, which encompasses buffer overflow conditions in stack-based memory structures, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.004 for network denial of service attacks.
The operational impact of CVE-2002-0254 extends beyond simple application instability to create broader service disruption within ICQ networks. When exploited successfully, the vulnerability allows attackers to systematically crash user clients, potentially affecting entire user bases within the messaging platform. The remote nature of the attack means that malicious actors could target multiple users simultaneously, creating cascading failures that impact network availability and user experience. This vulnerability particularly affected the ICQ ecosystem during its peak usage period, where the messaging platform served as a primary communication channel for many users worldwide. The exploit could be delivered through various means including direct messaging, group chats, or even through profile picture updates that were automatically downloaded and displayed. The vulnerability's impact was amplified by the widespread adoption of ICQ during the early internet era, making it a significant concern for both individual users and network administrators.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2002-0254 required immediate patching of the affected ICQ client versions, with vendors releasing updated builds that included proper input validation and bounds checking for image dimensions. Users needed to upgrade to patched versions to eliminate the vulnerability, as no effective workarounds existed for the underlying memory management flaw. Network administrators should have implemented monitoring for suspicious image file transfers and potentially restricted image content in user profiles until patches were deployed. The vulnerability highlighted the importance of input validation in client-side applications and underscored the need for robust memory management practices in software development. Security professionals should have conducted vulnerability assessments to identify similar patterns in other applications that might be susceptible to similar buffer overflow conditions, particularly those handling multimedia content. This incident served as a catalyst for improved software security practices and contributed to the evolution of secure coding standards that emphasize proper boundary checking and input validation as fundamental security measures in application development.