CVE-2003-0428 in Ethereal
Summary
by MITRE
Unknown vulnerability in the DCERPC (DCE/RPC) dissector in Ethereal 0.9.12 and earlier allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (memory consumption) via a certain NDR string.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/15/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2003-0428 represents a critical denial of service flaw within the DCERPC dissector component of Ethereal network protocol analyzer version 0.9.12 and earlier. This issue specifically targets the handling of NDR (Network Data Representation) strings during network traffic analysis, creating a scenario where remote attackers can exploit the software's parsing mechanisms to consume excessive system memory resources. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and memory management within the dissector's string processing routines, which are responsible for interpreting DCE/RPC protocol data structures that are commonly found in Windows network communications.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when Ethereal processes network packets containing specially crafted NDR strings that trigger memory allocation patterns leading to unbounded memory consumption. This memory exhaustion condition results in the application becoming unresponsive or crashing entirely, effectively rendering the network monitoring capabilities unavailable to legitimate users. The flaw operates at the protocol analysis layer where Ethereal decodes and presents network traffic data to users, making it particularly dangerous as it can be triggered through normal network monitoring operations without requiring special privileges or authentication. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-129 as an input validation issue where insufficient bounds checking allows malicious data to cause resource exhaustion, and it aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.004 for network denial of service attacks.
The operational impact of CVE-2003-0428 extends beyond simple service disruption as it can severely compromise network monitoring infrastructure that relies on Ethereal for traffic analysis. Organizations using affected versions may experience complete loss of network visibility during attack periods, potentially masking other malicious activities while the monitoring system remains offline. The vulnerability affects the fundamental functionality of network protocol analysis tools, making it particularly concerning for security operations centers and network administrators who depend on continuous monitoring capabilities. Attackers can leverage this weakness to perform sustained denial of service attacks against network monitoring systems, potentially causing cascading failures in network security infrastructure. The memory consumption pattern suggests that the vulnerability may be exploitable through various network protocols that utilize DCE/RPC services, including common Windows networking components such as file sharing, print services, and remote procedure call mechanisms.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate software updates to versions of Ethereal that contain fixed dissector implementations, specifically versions 0.9.13 and later where the NDR string handling has been corrected. Network administrators should implement network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure of monitoring systems to untrusted networks, while also deploying intrusion detection systems that can identify and block malformed NDR string traffic patterns. The fix typically involves implementing proper bounds checking and memory allocation limits within the dissector's string processing functions, preventing the exploitation scenario that leads to excessive memory consumption. Additionally, organizations should consider deploying multiple monitoring tools or redundant systems to maintain network visibility even if one monitoring component becomes compromised, following the principle of defense in depth. Regular security assessments and network traffic analysis should include verification of protocol dissector integrity to prevent similar vulnerabilities from being exploited in other network analysis tools.