CVE-2003-0933 in Conquest
Summary
by MITRE
Buffer overflow in conquest 7.2 and earlier may allow a local user to execute arbitrary code via a long environment variable.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/01/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2003-0933 represents a critical buffer overflow flaw affecting the conquest game version 7.2 and earlier. This issue resides within the game's environment variable handling mechanism, creating a pathway for local attackers to escalate privileges and execute malicious code. The flaw stems from inadequate input validation and bounds checking when processing environment variables, allowing attackers to overwrite adjacent memory locations through carefully crafted long variable values.
This buffer overflow vulnerability operates under the common weakness enumeration CWE-121, which categorizes buffer overflow conditions where insufficient bounds checking allows memory to be overwritten. The specific implementation flaw occurs when the conquest application processes environment variables without proper length verification, leading to stack-based buffer overflow conditions. Attackers can exploit this by setting environment variables with excessive lengths, causing the program to write beyond allocated memory boundaries and potentially overwrite critical program execution elements such as return addresses or function pointers.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation, as it enables local users to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the targeted process. This creates a significant security risk for systems where conquest is installed, particularly in multi-user environments where local attackers might not have direct access to system resources. The vulnerability affects systems running conquest versions 7.2 and earlier, making it a persistent threat in legacy environments that have not received updates or patches.
From a threat modeling perspective, this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1068, which covers local privilege escalation through exploitation of system vulnerabilities. The attack surface is limited to local users who can manipulate environment variables, but the impact remains severe due to the potential for code execution. The exploitation process requires the attacker to understand the memory layout and craft precise environment variable values that trigger the overflow condition, making this a moderately sophisticated attack vector that targets specific software implementations.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2003-0933 should prioritize immediate patching of the conquest application to version 7.3 or later, which contains the necessary memory bounds checking and input validation fixes. System administrators should implement environment variable restrictions through operating system controls and application whitelisting policies to prevent unauthorized modification of critical environment variables. Additionally, regular security assessments should verify that no legacy versions of conquest remain installed on systems, and that proper access controls are in place to limit local user privileges where the game is installed. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the importance of proper input validation and memory management in software development, particularly for applications that handle user-controlled data through environment variables.