CVE-2004-0316 in Soho
Summary
by MITRE
Buffer overflow in Avirt Soho 4.3 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) via (1) a large GET request to port 1080 or (2) a large GET request of % characters to port 8080.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/13/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2004-0316 represents a critical buffer overflow flaw within Avirt Soho 4.3 software, specifically affecting two distinct network ports that serve different functional purposes within the application's architecture. This vulnerability manifests as a remote denial of service condition that can be triggered through carefully crafted malformed requests, demonstrating the classic characteristics of a buffer overflow attack that exploits improper input validation mechanisms.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs when the Avirt Soho 4.3 application processes incoming network requests without adequate bounds checking on the length of data received. When a remote attacker sends a large GET request to either port 1080 or port 8080, the application fails to properly validate the size of the incoming data buffer, leading to memory corruption that ultimately results in application crash and service disruption. The specific nature of the attack vectors indicates that the software does not implement proper input sanitization or length limitation mechanisms for HTTP request processing, making it susceptible to memory overwrite conditions that can be exploited remotely.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability presents a significant threat to network availability and service integrity, particularly in environments where Avirt Soho 4.3 serves as a critical component of network infrastructure. The denial of service condition affects both ports 1080 and 8080, suggesting that the application may be serving different types of network services or acting as a proxy for multiple protocols, thereby amplifying the potential impact of the vulnerability. The remote nature of the attack means that adversaries can exploit this flaw from outside the network perimeter without requiring local system access, making it particularly dangerous for publicly exposed services.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, which describes stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and reflects the common pattern of insufficient input validation that has plagued network applications for decades. According to ATT&CK framework, this represents a technique categorized under T1499.004 for Network Denial of Service, where adversaries leverage application-level vulnerabilities to disrupt service availability. The attack vectors specifically target HTTP GET request handling, indicating that the vulnerability exists within the application's web server component or HTTP processing module, where malformed request parameters can trigger memory corruption.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2004-0316 should prioritize immediate patching of the Avirt Soho 4.3 software to address the buffer overflow conditions in both port 1080 and 8080 handling mechanisms. Network administrators should implement input validation controls at network boundaries, including rate limiting and request size restrictions to prevent exploitation attempts. Additionally, deploying intrusion detection systems capable of identifying malformed HTTP requests can provide early warning of potential exploitation attempts. The long-term solution requires comprehensive security testing of all network-facing applications to identify similar buffer overflow conditions and implementing secure coding practices that enforce proper input validation and memory management. Organizations should also consider network segmentation to limit the attack surface and implement monitoring solutions that can detect service disruption patterns consistent with this vulnerability's exploitation characteristics.