CVE-2004-0560 in gopherd
Summary
by MITRE
Integer overflow in gopher daemon (gopherd) 3.0.3 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service and possibly execute arbitrary code via crafted content of a certain size that triggers the overflow.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/14/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2004-0560 represents a critical integer overflow flaw within the gopher daemon version 3.0.3, a widely used server application for the gopher protocol that was prevalent in the early internet infrastructure. This vulnerability specifically affects the daemon's handling of content sizes during processing, creating a scenario where maliciously crafted data can trigger unexpected behavior in the application's memory management systems. The gopher protocol, while largely obsolete today, was once a fundamental means of information retrieval on the internet, making this vulnerability particularly concerning as it could impact numerous legacy systems that continued to operate well beyond their intended lifecycles.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from improper input validation within the gopher daemon's content processing routines. When the daemon receives content of a specific size that exceeds the maximum value representable by a signed integer in the application's memory model, the integer overflow occurs. This overflow can cause the application to misinterpret memory allocation requests, leading to memory corruption that manifests as unpredictable behavior. The flaw operates at the boundary conditions of integer arithmetic, where the sum of two positive integers exceeds the maximum value that can be stored in the target integer type, causing the value to wrap around to a negative number or zero. This type of vulnerability maps directly to CWE-190, which specifically addresses integer overflow conditions, and represents a classic example of how arithmetic operations can lead to memory safety issues in network services.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service to potentially enable remote code execution, making it particularly dangerous for systems that rely on the gopher protocol for information distribution. When an attacker crafts content that triggers the integer overflow, the daemon may crash or behave unpredictably, resulting in service disruption that can be exploited for broader attacks. The potential for arbitrary code execution arises from the memory corruption that occurs during the overflow, which can be manipulated to overwrite critical program structures or jump to attacker-controlled code locations. This vulnerability demonstrates how seemingly benign input handling can create pathways for sophisticated exploitation, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1203 for exploitation for privilege escalation and T1499 for network denial of service attacks. Systems running vulnerable versions of gopherd could be compromised to serve as attack platforms or to disrupt information services that depend on gopher protocol access.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate patching of affected systems with updated versions of the gopher daemon that properly handle integer bounds checking and input validation. Organizations should conduct comprehensive inventory assessments to identify all systems running vulnerable versions of gopherd, particularly legacy systems that may not receive regular security updates. Network segmentation and access controls should be implemented to limit exposure of vulnerable services to untrusted networks, while monitoring systems should be configured to detect anomalous content patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability highlights the importance of robust input validation and integer overflow protection in network services, emphasizing the need for defensive programming practices that prevent arithmetic operations from creating exploitable conditions. Additionally, system administrators should implement regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning to identify similar issues in other legacy applications that may be running in production environments, as integer overflow vulnerabilities often manifest in similar patterns across different software implementations.