CVE-2003-0159 in Ethereal
Summary
by MITRE
Heap-based buffer overflow in the NTLMSSP code for Ethereal 0.9.9 and earlier allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service and possibly execute arbitrary code.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/28/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2003-0159 represents a critical heap-based buffer overflow within the NTLMSSP (NT LAN Manager Security Support Provider) implementation of Ethereal network protocol analyzer version 0.9.9 and earlier. This flaw exists in the handling of authentication tokens and security protocol negotiations that occur during network communication analysis. The vulnerability specifically affects the processing of NTLM authentication challenges and responses, which are fundamental components of Windows authentication mechanisms and are commonly encountered in enterprise network traffic monitoring scenarios.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate bounds checking within the heap memory allocation routines used by Ethereal's NTLMSSP module. When processing malformed or specially crafted NTLM authentication packets, the software fails to properly validate input lengths before copying data into heap-allocated buffers. This allows attackers to overwrite adjacent memory locations and potentially control the execution flow of the application. The heap overflow occurs during the parsing of authentication tokens that contain excessive data in specific fields, particularly those related to the NTLM challenge-response mechanism. The vulnerability is classified as a heap-based buffer overflow under CWE-122, which specifically addresses insufficient checking of heap buffer bounds during memory operations.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service to potentially enabling remote code execution. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious network packets that trigger the buffer overflow when Ethereal processes them during network traffic analysis. This creates a significant risk for network administrators who rely on Ethereal for monitoring and troubleshooting network communications, as the software could be remotely compromised simply by analyzing malicious traffic. The vulnerability affects the integrity and availability of network monitoring operations, potentially allowing attackers to gain unauthorized access to systems that are actively monitored by vulnerable Ethereal installations. The attack vector is particularly concerning as it can be executed through normal network traffic analysis without requiring direct user interaction or elevated privileges.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2003-0159 focus primarily on immediate software updates and network security measures. Organizations should immediately upgrade to Ethereal version 0.10.0 or later, where the buffer overflow has been addressed through proper input validation and bounds checking. Network administrators should implement additional monitoring to detect and block suspicious authentication traffic patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059, which covers the execution of malicious code through network protocol analysis tools. Security professionals should also consider implementing network segmentation and access controls to limit the potential impact of successful exploitation, while maintaining regular vulnerability assessments to identify similar issues in other network monitoring tools. Additionally, the use of alternative protocol analyzers that have been verified as secure and regularly updated can provide more robust protection against such vulnerabilities.