CVE-2004-1141 in Ethereal
Summary
by MITRE
The HTTP dissector in Ethereal 0.10.1 through 0.10.7 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) via a certain packet that causes the dissector to access previously-freed memory.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/05/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2004-1141 represents a critical memory corruption flaw within the HTTP dissector component of Ethereal network protocol analyzer version 0.10.1 through 0.10.7. This issue arises from improper memory management practices during packet processing, specifically when handling malformed HTTP traffic. The vulnerability falls under the category of memory safety issues and is classified as a use-after-free condition according to common weakness enumeration standards. The flaw manifests when the dissector attempts to access memory that has already been deallocated, leading to unpredictable application behavior and potential system instability.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs within the packet analysis engine where the HTTP dissector processes network traffic to extract and display protocol-specific information. When a specially crafted packet is received that triggers the dissector to process previously freed memory segments, the application experiences an access violation that results in an application crash. This memory corruption vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it can be exploited remotely without requiring authentication or specialized privileges. The attacker needs only to send a malformed HTTP packet to the target system running the vulnerable version of Ethereal, causing the application to terminate unexpectedly and effectively denying service to legitimate users who rely on network monitoring capabilities.
The operational impact of CVE-2004-1141 extends beyond simple application instability to encompass broader network monitoring and security operations. Organizations relying on Ethereal for network traffic analysis and security auditing face significant risks when exposed to this vulnerability, as it can be leveraged to disrupt critical network monitoring infrastructure. The denial of service condition affects not only the immediate availability of the monitoring tool but can also impact downstream security operations that depend on uninterrupted network traffic analysis. This vulnerability aligns with attack patterns documented in the attack technique framework where network protocol analysis tools are targeted to disrupt security operations and potentially mask other malicious activities. The vulnerability affects systems where Ethereal is deployed for network monitoring, including security operations centers, network troubleshooting environments, and forensic analysis platforms.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2004-1141 primarily focus on immediate version updates and system hardening measures. The most effective remediation involves upgrading to Ethereal version 0.10.8 or later, which contains the necessary memory management fixes to prevent the use-after-free condition. Network administrators should implement comprehensive patch management procedures to ensure all instances of the vulnerable software are updated promptly. Additional protective measures include implementing network segmentation to limit exposure, deploying intrusion detection systems to monitor for exploitation attempts, and establishing redundant monitoring capabilities to maintain network visibility even during potential exploitation events. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of robust memory management practices in network security tools and highlights the need for regular security assessments of monitoring infrastructure. Organizations should also consider implementing network access controls and firewall rules to limit exposure to potentially malicious traffic while maintaining necessary network monitoring capabilities.