CVE-2002-0401 in Ethereal
Summary
by MITRE
SMB dissector in Ethereal 0.9.3 and earlier allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) or execute arbitrary code via malformed packets that cause Ethereal to dereference a NULL pointer.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/24/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2002-0401 represents a critical buffer overflow and null pointer dereference issue within the SMB dissector component of Ethereal network protocol analyzer version 0.9.3 and earlier. This flaw resides in the packet parsing logic responsible for analyzing Server Message Block protocol traffic, which is commonly used in Windows networking environments for file sharing and other network services. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and memory management practices within the dissector module that processes SMB packets. When Ethereal encounters malformed SMB packets containing specially crafted data structures, the parser fails to properly validate packet headers and data fields before attempting to access memory locations. This leads to a situation where the dissector attempts to dereference a NULL pointer, causing the application to crash or potentially allowing remote code execution. The vulnerability specifically affects the SMB protocol dissector which is part of the broader network traffic analysis functionality that Ethereal provides to network administrators and security professionals.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability requires an attacker to send specially crafted SMB packets to a system running the vulnerable version of Ethereal. The malformed packets trigger a cascade of memory access violations that result in application instability. The null pointer dereference occurs during the packet parsing process when the dissector attempts to access a data structure that has not been properly initialized or validated. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-476 which specifically addresses NULL pointer dereference conditions, and represents a classic example of improper input validation in network protocol parsing components. The operational impact extends beyond simple denial of service as the vulnerability could potentially allow remote code execution, making it particularly dangerous for network monitoring systems that rely on Ethereal for traffic analysis. Network security professionals who use Ethereal for intrusion detection, network forensics, or protocol analysis would face significant risk if their systems were compromised through this vulnerability.
The security implications of CVE-2002-0401 are substantial given that Ethereal was widely used for network monitoring and analysis tasks in enterprise environments. The vulnerability creates an attack surface where remote adversaries can compromise network analysis tools, potentially leading to complete system compromise or data exfiltration. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under the T1059.007 technique for command and control communication, as the compromised analysis tools could be used to establish persistent access or exfiltrate network traffic data. Organizations using vulnerable versions of Ethereal were at risk of having their network monitoring capabilities completely compromised, as attackers could potentially use this vulnerability to gain unauthorized access to the monitoring systems or to disrupt network operations. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of proper input validation in network protocol parsers, as similar issues could affect other network analysis tools that implement protocol dissectors. Security practitioners should note that this vulnerability was addressed through proper memory management updates and input validation improvements in subsequent versions of Ethereal, which later became Wireshark, emphasizing the need for regular security updates in network monitoring infrastructure.
The remediation strategy for CVE-2002-0401 involves immediate upgrading to Ethereal version 0.9.4 or later, where the SMB dissector has been patched to properly validate packet data and prevent null pointer dereference conditions. Organizations should also implement network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure to potentially malicious SMB traffic, while monitoring for unusual packet patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of robust input validation in network protocol analysis tools and serves as a reminder that network monitoring infrastructure itself can be a target for attackers seeking to compromise security operations. Additionally, security teams should consider implementing network traffic filtering rules that can detect and block malformed SMB packets, providing an additional layer of defense against similar vulnerabilities in other protocol dissectors.