CVE-2003-0804 in Mac OS X
Summary
by MITRE
The arplookup function in FreeBSD 5.1 and earlier, Mac OS X before 10.2.8, and possibly other BSD-based systems, allows remote attackers on a local subnet to cause a denial of service (resource starvation and panic) via a flood of spoofed ARP requests.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/08/2021
The vulnerability described in CVE-2003-0804 represents a critical denial of service flaw affecting BSD-based operating systems including FreeBSD versions 5.1 and earlier, as well as Mac OS X before version 10.2.8. This issue stems from the arplookup function implementation which fails to properly validate incoming ARP requests, creating a resource exhaustion condition that can lead to system crashes and complete service unavailability. The vulnerability specifically targets the Address Resolution Protocol handling mechanism that translates IP addresses to MAC addresses within local network segments, making it particularly dangerous in environments where network traffic is monitored and managed.
The technical flaw manifests when the system receives a high volume of spoofed ARP requests that exploit weaknesses in the arplookup function's packet processing logic. These malicious requests cause the system to allocate excessive memory resources and processing cycles to handle what appear to be legitimate network resolution requests but are actually crafted to overwhelm the system's ARP table management capabilities. The vulnerability operates at the network layer and leverages the inherent trust model of ARP protocols, where systems typically accept and process ARP requests without sufficient validation of source authenticity. This flaw falls under CWE-129, representing an input validation issue where the system fails to properly validate the legitimacy of network packets before processing them.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption to potentially compromise entire network segments within the local subnet. When exploited successfully, attackers can cause resource starvation through excessive memory allocation and CPU consumption, leading to system panics and complete system crashes. Network administrators may experience significant downtime as affected systems become unresponsive, requiring manual intervention to restore normal operations. The vulnerability affects systems that rely heavily on ARP resolution for network communication, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where network availability is critical for business operations.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2003-0804 involve implementing network-level protections such as ARP spoofing detection mechanisms and rate limiting for ARP requests. System administrators should upgrade to patched versions of affected operating systems, with FreeBSD 5.2 and later versions containing the necessary fixes. Network segmentation and monitoring solutions can help detect anomalous ARP traffic patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under network infiltration techniques, specifically targeting the network layer protocols to achieve system compromise. Additionally, implementing proper access controls and network monitoring can help prevent unauthorized users from exploiting this vulnerability, while regular security audits should verify that systems remain patched against known vulnerabilities. Organizations should also consider deploying intrusion detection systems capable of identifying and alerting on abnormal ARP traffic patterns that could indicate an active attack.