CVE-2004-1078 in Program Neighborhood Agent
Summary
by MITRE
Stack-based buffer overflow in the client for Citrix Program Neighborhood Agent for Win32 8.00.24737 and earlier and Citrix MetaFrame Presentation Server client for WinCE before 8.33 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a long cached icon filename in the InName XML element.
Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/11/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2004-1078 represents a critical stack-based buffer overflow flaw affecting Citrix client software implementations across both Windows desktop and Windows CE platforms. This security weakness specifically impacts Citrix Program Neighborhood Agent for Win32 versions 8.00.24737 and earlier, as well as Citrix MetaFrame Presentation Server client for WinCE before version 8.33. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation within the XML parsing mechanism, particularly when processing cached icon filenames stored in the InName XML element. The flaw occurs during the handling of remote data streams where the client application fails to properly bounds-check the length of incoming filename data before copying it into a fixed-size stack buffer.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability follows a classic buffer overflow pattern where malicious input data exceeds the allocated buffer space, causing adjacent memory locations to be overwritten. In this case, the attacker crafts a specially formatted XML payload containing an excessively long cached icon filename within the InName element, which when processed by the vulnerable Citrix client software results in stack corruption. This memory corruption can be leveraged to overwrite return addresses and execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the affected process, typically resulting in complete system compromise. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it operates over network channels and can be triggered without authentication, making it an ideal candidate for remote exploitation scenarios.
The operational impact of CVE-2004-1078 extends beyond simple code execution, as it fundamentally undermines the security posture of Citrix client environments. Organizations utilizing affected Citrix software face potential unauthorized access to sensitive corporate data, privilege escalation attacks, and complete system takeover capabilities. The vulnerability's remote exploitability means that attackers can compromise systems without physical access or prior authentication, making it particularly attractive for cybercriminal operations. The attack vector through XML processing also suggests potential for widespread impact across organizations that rely on Citrix for remote desktop and application delivery services, especially in enterprise environments where these technologies are extensively deployed.
Security mitigations for this vulnerability should focus on immediate patch deployment for all affected Citrix client versions, as the vendor released updates specifically addressing this buffer overflow condition. Network segmentation and firewall rules can provide temporary protection by restricting access to Citrix services, though this approach does not eliminate the underlying vulnerability. Input validation controls should be implemented at network boundaries to filter malformed XML content before it reaches client systems. Organizations should also consider implementing intrusion detection systems capable of identifying exploitation attempts targeting this specific vulnerability pattern. The flaw aligns with CWE-121 Stack-based Buffer Overflow and represents a technique commonly documented in ATT&CK framework under T1059 Command and Scripting Interpreter and T1068 Exploitation for Privilege Escalation, emphasizing the need for comprehensive security measures beyond simple patching.