CVE-2004-1524 in Hired Team Trial
Summary
by MITRE
Hired Team: Trial 2.0 and earlier and 2.200 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (game interruption) via a malformed UDP packet sent to a game port, such as port 29200.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/15/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2004-1524 affects Hired Team: Trial 2.0 and earlier versions as well as version 2.200, representing a significant security flaw in networked gaming applications. This issue manifests as a denial of service condition that can be triggered by sending malformed UDP packets to specific game ports, particularly port 29200 which serves as the primary communication endpoint for the affected software. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation mechanisms within the network protocol handling code, where the application fails to properly sanitize and validate incoming UDP packet data before processing it. This fundamental flaw in the software architecture creates an exploitable entry point that allows remote attackers to disrupt game operations without requiring any authentication or privileged access. The attack vector specifically targets the User Datagram Protocol implementation, leveraging the connectionless nature of UDP to send crafted malformed packets that cause the application to crash or become unresponsive. From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-129, which addresses improper validation of input boundaries, and represents a classic example of buffer overflow or input validation failure that can lead to service disruption. The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple game interruption, as it can affect entire gaming sessions, server availability, and potentially disrupt multiplayer gaming experiences for multiple users simultaneously. The flaw demonstrates poor defensive programming practices where the software does not implement proper error handling or input sanitization for network communications, creating an environment where malicious actors can easily exploit the system through simple network packet manipulation. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to perform sustained denial of service attacks against gaming servers or individual client applications, causing significant disruption to gaming services and potentially leading to financial losses for game operators. The vulnerability also relates to ATT&CK technique T1498, which covers network denial of service attacks, and specifically targets the network service availability aspect of cybersecurity frameworks. This issue highlights the critical importance of robust input validation in network applications, particularly those handling real-time communications where malformed packets can cause cascading failures. The vulnerability affects not only individual users but also game server administrators who may face challenges in maintaining service availability when confronted with such attacks. The lack of proper packet filtering and validation mechanisms within the application's network stack creates a persistent security risk that can be exploited by anyone with access to the network, making it particularly dangerous in public gaming environments or shared network infrastructures. Organizations using affected versions of Hired Team should prioritize immediate patching or mitigation strategies to prevent exploitation, as the vulnerability provides attackers with a straightforward method to disrupt gaming services without requiring advanced technical skills or privileged access. The technical flaw represents a fundamental weakness in the application's network security architecture that requires comprehensive remediation through proper input validation, error handling, and network protocol sanitization measures.