CVE-2004-1850 in The Rage
Summary
by MITRE
The Rage 1.01 and earlier allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (infinite loop) via a TCP packet with the port and IP address set to zero.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/08/2017
The vulnerability described in CVE-2004-1850 affects Rage 1.01 and earlier versions of a network service implementation that processes TCP packets. This flaw represents a classic denial of service vulnerability that can be exploited by remote attackers to disrupt service availability. The vulnerability specifically manifests when the system receives a TCP packet where both the source port and destination port fields are set to zero, creating an abnormal packet state that the software cannot properly handle. This type of vulnerability falls under the category of malformed input processing failures that can lead to system instability and service disruption.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation within the network packet processing logic of the Rage software. When the system encounters a TCP packet with both port fields set to zero, it enters an infinite loop during packet processing, causing the service to become unresponsive and effectively denying legitimate users access to the system. This infinite loop occurs because the software fails to properly validate or reject malformed packets before attempting to process them, leading to a condition where the processing routine continuously iterates without making progress toward completion. The vulnerability demonstrates a fundamental flaw in the software's error handling mechanisms and packet validation procedures. According to CWE classification, this represents a CWE-121: Stack-based Buffer Overflow or more specifically a CWE-674: Uncontrolled Recursion, where the system's response to malformed input creates an infinite loop condition.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption to potentially affect system availability and reliability in networked environments. Remote attackers can exploit this weakness without requiring authentication or special privileges, making it particularly dangerous in public network environments where the service might be exposed to untrusted traffic. The infinite loop condition consumes system resources such as CPU cycles and memory, potentially leading to system performance degradation or complete service exhaustion. This type of vulnerability can be leveraged as part of larger attack campaigns targeting network availability, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1498: Network Denial of Service which focuses on disrupting network services through various means including malformed packet attacks. The vulnerability particularly affects systems where Rage software is deployed as a network service, potentially compromising the availability of critical infrastructure components that depend on proper network communication.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should include immediate software updates to versions that address the packet validation flaw, implementing network-level filtering to block packets with zero port values, and configuring intrusion detection systems to monitor for suspicious packet patterns. The software should be updated to properly validate TCP packet headers before processing, ensuring that packets with zero port values are rejected or handled gracefully rather than causing system loops. Network administrators should implement proper input validation at multiple layers including firewalls, routers, and application-level filters to prevent malformed packets from reaching vulnerable systems. Additionally, system monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual CPU utilization patterns that might indicate the exploitation of this vulnerability. The remediation process should follow standard security practices including vulnerability assessment, patch deployment, and post-remediation verification to ensure that the infinite loop condition no longer occurs with malformed TCP packets containing zero port values.