CVE-2004-0367 in Ethereal
Summary
by MITRE
Ethereal 0.10.1 to 0.10.2 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) via a zero-length Presentation protocol selector.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/16/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2004-0367 affects Ethereal network protocol analyzer versions 0.10.1 through 0.10.2, representing a critical denial of service flaw that can be exploited remotely by attackers. This vulnerability specifically targets the handling of Presentation protocol selectors within the network traffic analysis framework, demonstrating how improper input validation can lead to system instability and service disruption. The affected software is part of the broader category of network monitoring and analysis tools that are essential for network security operations and troubleshooting activities.
The technical flaw manifests when Ethereal encounters a malformed Presentation protocol selector with zero length during packet processing. This particular condition causes the application to crash or terminate unexpectedly, as the software fails to properly handle the edge case of a zero-length selector. The vulnerability stems from inadequate boundary checking and input validation mechanisms within the protocol parsing code, particularly in the presentation layer handling components. According to CWE classification, this represents a weakness in input validation where the system does not properly validate or sanitize input data before processing it, specifically categorized under CWE-20 as "Improper Input Validation."
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption to potentially compromise network monitoring capabilities. When an attacker successfully exploits this flaw, they can cause Ethereal to crash repeatedly, effectively rendering the network monitoring tool unusable for legitimate security operations. This denial of service condition can be particularly damaging in environments where continuous network monitoring is critical for security incident response and network health assessment. The vulnerability is classified as remote because attackers can trigger the condition without requiring local access to the system, making it particularly dangerous in networked environments. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability aligns with the technique T1499.004 "Endpoint Denial of Service" and represents a classic example of how protocol parsing errors can be weaponized for service disruption attacks.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability involve immediate patching of affected Ethereal installations to versions 0.10.3 and later, which contain the necessary fixes for proper input validation of Presentation protocol selectors. Organizations should also implement network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure to potential attackers, while monitoring for unusual network traffic patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. Additionally, system administrators should consider implementing redundant monitoring solutions to maintain network visibility even if one monitoring tool becomes unavailable due to this vulnerability. The fix typically involves adding proper length validation checks and implementing graceful error handling for malformed protocol data, ensuring that the application can continue operating even when encountering unexpected input conditions.