CVE-2003-0163 in Gaim-Encryption
Summary
by MITRE
decrypt_msg for the Gaim-Encryption GAIM plugin 1.15 and earlier does not properly validate a message length parameter, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) via a negative length, which overwrites arbitrary heap memory with a zero byte.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/13/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2003-0163 affects the Gaim-Encryption plugin version 1.15 and earlier, representing a critical security flaw in instant messaging client software. This issue resides within the decrypt_msg function implementation where proper validation of message length parameters is absent. The flaw specifically targets the memory management mechanisms of the encryption plugin, creating a condition where malformed input can trigger unexpected behavior in the application's heap memory allocation processes.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when a remote attacker crafts a malicious message with a negative length parameter. This negative value bypasses normal input validation checks and causes the decryption function to interpret the parameter incorrectly during memory operations. The improper handling of this negative length value results in heap memory corruption where arbitrary memory locations are overwritten with zero bytes, leading to application instability and potential crash conditions.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risk to users of the Gaim messaging platform, particularly in environments where remote adversaries may have access to communicate with targeted systems. The denial of service condition can be triggered without authentication requirements, making it particularly dangerous as it allows attackers to disrupt communication services simply by sending specially crafted messages. The heap memory corruption aspect indicates that this vulnerability may also potentially lead to more severe consequences including arbitrary code execution depending on the memory layout and application state during exploitation.
This vulnerability maps to CWE-125: Out-of-bounds Read and CWE-787: Out-of-bounds Write within the Common Weakness Enumeration framework, demonstrating how improper input validation can lead to memory corruption issues. The attack pattern aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.004: Endpoint Denial of Service, specifically targeting application stability through memory manipulation. The flaw represents a classic buffer overflow condition where the lack of proper parameter validation creates opportunities for attackers to manipulate memory contents and cause application termination.
Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate patching of the Gaim-Encryption plugin to version 1.16 or later where the message length validation has been implemented. System administrators should also consider implementing network-level filtering to prevent unauthorized communication with affected systems. Additionally, users should be educated about the risks of accepting messages from untrusted sources and the importance of keeping encryption plugins updated. The vulnerability highlights the critical importance of input validation in cryptographic implementations and demonstrates how seemingly simple parameter checks can prevent serious memory corruption issues that could compromise system integrity and availability.