CVE-2002-1953 in Instant Messenger
Summary
by MITRE
Heap-based buffer overflow in the goim handler of AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) 4.4 through 4.8.2616 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) via escaping of the screen name parameter, which triggers the overflow when the user selects "Get Info" on the buddy.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/06/2024
The vulnerability described in CVE-2002-1953 represents a critical heap-based buffer overflow within the goim handler component of AOL Instant Messenger versions 4.4 through 4.8.2616. This flaw resides in the application's handling of screen name parameters during buddy information retrieval operations, specifically when users select the "Get Info" function on their contacts. The vulnerability operates through a classic buffer overflow mechanism where insufficient input validation allows maliciously crafted data to exceed the allocated memory boundaries within the heap allocation structure.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when an attacker crafts a specially formatted screen name parameter that contains escape sequences designed to trigger the buffer overflow condition. When the AIM client processes this malformed input and subsequently executes the "Get Info" operation on the affected buddy, the application fails to properly validate the length of the screen name before copying it into a fixed-size buffer allocated on the heap. This improper bounds checking creates an exploitable condition where the overflow corrupts adjacent heap memory, leading to unpredictable application behavior and eventual crash. The vulnerability is classified as heap-based because it specifically targets heap-allocated memory regions rather than stack-based buffers, making it particularly challenging to detect and exploit reliably.
The operational impact of this vulnerability manifests as a remote denial of service condition that allows attackers to crash the AIM client application without requiring any privileged access or authentication. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous in environments where AIM is used for business communications or when users might receive messages from untrusted sources. The crash occurs during legitimate user interaction with the buddy list functionality, making it difficult for users to distinguish between normal operation and malicious exploitation attempts. From an attack perspective, this vulnerability aligns with the ATT&CK technique T1203 (Exploitation for Client Execution) and follows the CWE classification of CWE-121, which describes heap-based buffer overflow conditions. The vulnerability represents a fundamental flaw in input sanitization and memory management practices that were common in instant messaging applications of that era, demonstrating the importance of proper bounds checking in client-side applications.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on immediate patching of affected AIM versions to the latest stable releases that contain proper input validation and buffer management fixes. Organizations should implement network monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts through malformed screen name parameters and consider network segmentation to limit the impact of successful attacks. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper software security practices including input validation, bounds checking, and memory management, which are fundamental requirements addressed by industry standards such as the OWASP Top Ten and NIST cybersecurity frameworks. Additionally, users should be educated about the risks of accepting messages from untrusted sources and the importance of keeping instant messaging clients updated with the latest security patches to prevent exploitation of similar vulnerabilities that may exist in other legacy applications.