CVE-2004-1587 in Blood
Summary
by MITRE
Buffer overflow in Monolith games including (1) Alien versus Predator 2 1.0.9.6 and earlier, (2) Blood 2 2.1 and earlier, (3) No one lives forever 1.004 and earlier and (4) Shogo 2.2 and earlier allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) via a long secure Gamespy query.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/02/2025
The vulnerability described in CVE-2004-1587 represents a classic buffer overflow flaw affecting multiple titles in the Monolith games ecosystem including Alien versus Predator 2, Blood 2, No one lives forever, and Shogo. This security weakness stems from improper input validation within the Gamespy query handling mechanism that is used for multiplayer game server communication and matchmaking services. The affected software versions all utilize a common networking component that fails to properly bounds-check incoming data when processing secure Gamespy queries, creating an exploitable condition that can be remotely triggered by malicious actors.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs within the game server's network processing routines where incoming query packets are parsed and handled without adequate buffer size verification. When a remote attacker sends a specially crafted Gamespy query containing an excessive amount of data, the application's memory buffer allocated for processing this query becomes overwritten, leading to unpredictable behavior and system instability. This type of buffer overflow falls under the CWE-121 category of stack-based buffer overflow, where insufficient bounds checking allows attackers to overwrite adjacent memory locations including return addresses and control data structures.
The operational impact of this vulnerability manifests as a denial of service condition that can completely crash affected game servers and make them unavailable to legitimate players. This disruption affects multiplayer gaming experiences by rendering game servers inoperable, causing players to lose connectivity and potentially disrupting ongoing matches or game sessions. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it can be exploited remotely without requiring authentication or special privileges, making it accessible to any attacker with network access to the affected game servers. The Gamespy query mechanism is commonly used for server listing and player matchmaking, so compromising this functionality has significant implications for the overall gaming infrastructure.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2004-1587 should focus on implementing proper input validation and bounds checking within the affected applications. Game server administrators should upgrade to patched versions of the affected software releases that contain proper buffer size validation and memory management routines. Network-level protections including firewall rules and intrusion detection systems can help monitor for suspicious Gamespy query patterns, though the most effective approach involves applying vendor security patches. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of defensive programming practices and adheres to ATT&CK technique T1499.004 for network denial of service attacks. Organizations should also consider implementing network segmentation and monitoring to detect anomalous query traffic patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. Regular security updates and vulnerability assessments remain critical for maintaining the security posture of gaming infrastructure and preventing similar buffer overflow conditions from compromising system availability.