CVE-2004-0143 in 6310i
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple vulnerabilities in Nokia 6310(i) Mobile phones allow remote attackers to cause a denial of service (reset) via malformed Bluetooth OBject EXchange (OBEX) messages, probably triggering buffer overflows.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/22/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2004-0143 affects Nokia 6310(i) mobile phones and represents a significant security flaw in the Bluetooth implementation of these devices. This vulnerability falls under the category of denial of service attacks and specifically targets the OBject EXchange protocol implementation within the Bluetooth stack of the affected mobile phone models. The issue stems from inadequate input validation mechanisms within the Bluetooth OBEX processing code, which fails to properly handle malformed data structures that could be transmitted over the Bluetooth wireless interface.
The technical flaw manifests as a buffer overflow condition that occurs when the Nokia 6310(i) device receives specially crafted OBEX messages through Bluetooth communication. These malformed messages contain oversized data fields or improperly structured headers that exceed the allocated buffer space within the device's memory management system. The buffer overflow vulnerability is classified as a CWE-121 heap-based buffer overflow or CWE-122 stack-based buffer overflow depending on the specific implementation details of the affected code. When the device attempts to process these malicious OBEX messages, the overflow corrupts adjacent memory regions and can cause the device to crash or reset unexpectedly.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption as it provides attackers with a method to remotely compromise the availability of the target device. The attack can be executed without requiring physical access to the device or any form of authentication, making it particularly dangerous as it operates entirely over the air through Bluetooth wireless communication. This vulnerability creates a pathway for man-in-the-middle attacks where an attacker positioned within Bluetooth range can send malicious OBEX messages to cause the device to reset, potentially interrupting ongoing communications or rendering the device temporarily unusable. The device reset can also result in loss of unsaved data or temporary disruption of critical communications.
From an attack framework perspective, this vulnerability aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique T1499.004 which covers network denial of service attacks and represents a classic example of a remote code execution vector through protocol manipulation. The vulnerability demonstrates how mobile device manufacturers must consider robust input validation mechanisms for all wireless protocols, particularly those operating in untrusted environments. The issue highlights the importance of implementing proper bounds checking and memory management practices in embedded systems. Organizations and users should consider implementing network segmentation strategies to limit the exposure of Bluetooth-enabled devices to potentially malicious actors, while also ensuring that firmware updates are applied promptly when available. The vulnerability also underscores the need for comprehensive security testing of wireless protocols in mobile devices before deployment to prevent similar issues in future implementations.