CVE-2004-1492 in Master of Orion III
Summary
by MITRE
Master of Orion III 1.2.5 and earlier allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (game exit) via a data packet that contains a large size specifier, which causes a large memory allocation to fail.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/15/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2004-1492 affects Master of Orion III version 1.2.5 and earlier, representing a classic denial of service flaw in networked gaming applications. This vulnerability exists within the game's network protocol implementation where it fails to properly validate incoming data packets before processing them. The specific technical weakness manifests when the game receives a malformed data packet containing an excessively large size specifier that exceeds normal operational parameters. This flaw falls under the category of insufficient input validation as defined by CWE-20, where the application does not adequately sanitize or validate data received from external sources. The vulnerability operates at the application layer of the network stack, specifically targeting the game's networking code that handles multiplayer communications and data synchronization between connected clients.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption to potentially compromise the entire gaming session and affect multiple players simultaneously. When an attacker crafts and sends a specially formatted data packet with an exaggerated size field, the game client attempts to allocate memory proportional to this specified size, which can quickly exhaust available system resources or trigger memory allocation failures. This type of memory allocation failure typically results in the game crashing or exiting unexpectedly, thereby terminating the multiplayer session and potentially disrupting ongoing gameplay for all participants. The vulnerability demonstrates characteristics consistent with CWE-129 and CWE-131 classifications, where improper handling of buffer sizes and memory allocation parameters leads to system instability. From an attacker perspective, this represents a low-complexity, high-impact vector that requires minimal resources to exploit while delivering significant disruption to the gaming experience.
The broader implications of this vulnerability highlight the importance of robust input validation in networked applications, particularly in real-time multiplayer environments where consistent connectivity and stable performance are critical. Game developers and network security professionals should recognize that vulnerabilities of this nature often stem from insufficient bounds checking and memory management practices within network protocol handlers. The attack surface for such vulnerabilities extends to any networked application that processes external data without proper validation, making this issue relevant beyond just gaming applications to include enterprise network services, embedded systems, and IoT devices. Mitigation strategies should focus on implementing comprehensive input validation mechanisms, establishing reasonable size limits for network data packets, and incorporating robust error handling procedures that prevent memory allocation failures from causing application crashes. Additionally, this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499 which involves network denial of service attacks, and demonstrates the importance of defensive programming practices in preventing resource exhaustion attacks that can be categorized under the broader family of resource consumption vulnerabilities.