CVE-2003-0927 in Ethereal
Summary
by MITRE
Heap-based buffer overflow in Ethereal 0.9.15 and earlier allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) and possibly execute arbitrary code via the SOCKS dissector.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/12/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2003-0927 represents a critical heap-based buffer overflow affecting Ethereal network protocol analyzer version 0.9.15 and earlier. This flaw resides within the SOCKS dissector component of the software, which is responsible for analyzing and interpreting SOCKS proxy protocol traffic. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and memory management within the dissector's handling of malformed SOCKS protocol data packets. When Ethereal processes specially crafted malicious SOCKS traffic, the software fails to properly bounds-check data before copying it into heap-allocated memory buffers, creating an exploitable condition that can be remotely triggered by network-based attackers.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability demonstrates a classic heap overflow scenario where attacker-controlled data exceeds the allocated buffer size, leading to memory corruption that can be leveraged for arbitrary code execution or system crash. The SOCKS protocol dissector in Ethereal does not adequately validate the length of incoming data fields before processing them, allowing an attacker to craft packets with oversized data segments that overwrite adjacent memory locations. This memory corruption can overwrite critical program variables, return addresses, or function pointers, potentially enabling attackers to redirect program execution flow or cause the application to terminate abruptly. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and requires no special privileges to exploit, making it particularly dangerous as it can be triggered simply by analyzing malicious network traffic.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates significant risks for network monitoring and security analysis environments that rely on Ethereal for traffic inspection. Organizations using affected versions of Ethereal for network forensics, intrusion detection, or security auditing could experience complete system crashes when processing malicious SOCKS traffic, leading to denial of service conditions that compromise network visibility and monitoring capabilities. The potential for arbitrary code execution escalates the risk beyond simple denial of service, as attackers could gain remote control of systems running vulnerable Ethereal versions. This vulnerability particularly affects security operations centers, network administrators, and forensic analysts who may unknowingly process malicious traffic during routine network analysis activities, creating a window of opportunity for persistent attacks that could remain undetected for extended periods.
The mitigation strategy for CVE-2003-0927 involves immediate upgrade to Ethereal version 0.9.16 or later, which contains patches addressing the buffer overflow conditions in the SOCKS dissector. System administrators should also implement network segmentation and traffic filtering to prevent exposure to potentially malicious SOCKS protocol traffic until the software upgrade is complete. Additional defensive measures include disabling the SOCKS dissector functionality when processing untrusted network traffic and implementing network-based intrusion detection systems that can identify and block suspicious SOCKS protocol patterns. Organizations should also consider implementing application whitelisting policies to restrict execution of vulnerable software versions and establish incident response procedures for handling potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-121 heap-based buffer overflow category and represents a technique commonly mapped to attack phases in the MITRE ATT&CK framework, specifically within the execution and privilege escalation domains where attackers leverage memory corruption vulnerabilities to gain unauthorized system access.