CVE-2002-0821 in Ethereal
Summary
by MITRE
Buffer overflows in Ethereal 0.9.4 and earlier allow remote attackers to cause a denial of service or execute arbitrary code via (1) the BGP dissector, or (2) the WCP dissector.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/29/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2002-0821 represents a critical buffer overflow flaw affecting Ethereal network protocol analyzer version 0.9.4 and earlier releases. This vulnerability exists within the packet dissection functionality of the software, specifically impacting two distinct dissectors that process network traffic data. The buffer overflow conditions occur when the application processes malformed or specially crafted network packets that exceed the allocated buffer space, potentially leading to unpredictable behavior and system compromise. This flaw is particularly dangerous because it can be exploited remotely without requiring authentication or special privileges, making it a significant threat to network security infrastructure that relies on Ethereal for network monitoring and analysis.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and memory management within the BGP (Border Gateway Protocol) and WCP (Wireless Control Protocol) dissectors. When Ethereal encounters malformed packets that should be processed by these dissectors, the application fails to properly check buffer boundaries before copying data into memory structures. This lack of proper bounds checking allows attackers to craft malicious packets that contain excessive data, causing the program to write beyond allocated memory regions. The BGP dissector vulnerability specifically affects the handling of BGP update messages, while the WCP dissector flaw impacts Wireless Control Protocol packet analysis. Both scenarios result in memory corruption that can lead to application crashes, stack corruption, or potentially arbitrary code execution depending on the specific memory layout and exploitation techniques employed.
The operational impact of CVE-2002-0821 extends beyond simple denial of service conditions to encompass potential system compromise and unauthorized code execution. Network administrators using vulnerable versions of Ethereal face significant risks when monitoring network traffic, as any malicious packet that passes through the analyzer could trigger the buffer overflow condition. This vulnerability particularly affects network security monitoring systems, intrusion detection systems, and network forensics tools that depend on Ethereal for protocol analysis. The remote exploitation capability means that attackers can target systems without physical access, potentially compromising network monitoring infrastructure and gaining insights into network communications. Organizations relying on Ethereal for network analysis and troubleshooting face potential data loss, system instability, and possible unauthorized access to network monitoring capabilities.
The mitigation strategies for this vulnerability primarily focus on immediate software updates and operational security measures. The most effective solution involves upgrading to Ethereal version 0.9.5 or later, where the buffer overflow conditions have been addressed through proper input validation and memory management. Network administrators should implement immediate patch management procedures to update all affected systems and verify that the updated versions properly handle malformed packets. Additional protective measures include implementing network segmentation, deploying intrusion prevention systems, and configuring firewalls to filter suspicious traffic patterns that might exploit this vulnerability. Security professionals should also consider disabling the affected dissectors if the functionality is not critical for their monitoring requirements, though this approach reduces the tool's utility for network analysis. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-121 and CWE-122 categories related to buffer overflow conditions, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1059 for command and script injection, as exploitation could enable arbitrary code execution on vulnerable systems.