CVE-2004-0829 in Samba
Summary
by MITRE
smbd in Samba before 2.2.11 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (daemon crash) by sending a FindNextPrintChangeNotify request without a previous FindFirstPrintChangeNotify, as demonstrated by the SMB client in Windows XP SP2.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/29/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2004-0829 represents a critical denial of service flaw within the Samba smbd daemon, affecting versions prior to 2.2.11. This issue specifically targets the print notification handling mechanism within the Server Message Block protocol implementation, where the daemon fails to properly validate the sequence of print change notification requests. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and state management within the print change notification subsystem, creating a condition where malformed requests can trigger unexpected daemon behavior.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when a remote attacker sends a FindNextPrintChangeNotify request without first establishing a valid FindFirstPrintChangeNotify context. This violates the expected protocol sequence and causes the smbd daemon to crash due to improper handling of the missing context state. The flaw manifests in the daemon's inability to gracefully handle malformed print change notification requests, leading to memory corruption or invalid pointer dereferences that ultimately result in process termination. This behavior aligns with CWE-129, which addresses improper validation of input boundaries, and CWE-362, concerning concurrent execution use of a resource.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption, as it can be leveraged to create persistent denial of service conditions against Samba servers. Windows XP SP2's SMB client implementation demonstrates the practical exploitability of this vulnerability, as it can automatically generate the malformed request sequence when interacting with print shares. Attackers can repeatedly trigger this condition to maintain service unavailability, potentially affecting critical business operations that depend on file and print services. The vulnerability particularly impacts enterprise environments where Samba servers serve as file and print servers for Windows clients, creating a significant risk to business continuity and network availability.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including upgrading to Samba version 2.2.11 or later, which contains the necessary patches to properly validate print change notification request sequences. Network segmentation and firewall rules can help limit exposure by restricting access to print shares from trusted networks only. Additionally, implementing intrusion detection systems with signatures for this specific vulnerability pattern can aid in early detection of exploitation attempts. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under the T1499.004 technique for network denial of service, while the patched behavior aligns with proper protocol implementation standards that ensure robust state management and input validation. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify unpatched systems and prevent exploitation of this and similar vulnerabilities in the Samba ecosystem.