CVE-2004-2002 in IRIX
Summary
by MITRE
Unknown vulnerability in SGI IRIX 6.5 through 6.5.22m allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service via a certain UDP packet.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/16/2014
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2004-2002 represents a critical denial of service weakness within the SGI IRIX operating system version 6.5 through 6.5.22m. This issue manifests through the processing of specific UDP packets that can trigger system instability and complete service disruption. The vulnerability operates at the network protocol level, exploiting fundamental packet handling mechanisms within the kernel's network stack implementation. Such flaws typically arise from inadequate input validation or improper state management during packet processing operations.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from how the IRIX kernel handles certain malformed or specially crafted UDP packets. When these packets are received by the system, they trigger unexpected behavior in the network protocol handler, leading to system crashes or complete service unavailability. The flaw likely involves buffer overflows, improper boundary checks, or race conditions in the UDP processing code. This type of vulnerability aligns with CWE-129, which addresses issues related to improper validation of input boundaries, and CWE-125, which covers out-of-bounds read conditions. The root cause typically involves insufficient validation of packet headers or payload data during network packet reception.
The operational impact of CVE-2004-2002 extends beyond simple service disruption, potentially affecting mission-critical systems that rely on SGI IRIX for high-performance computing tasks. Organizations utilizing these older IRIX versions face significant risk of unauthorized denial of service attacks that could compromise availability of computational resources. The vulnerability's remote nature means attackers can exploit it from outside the network perimeter, making it particularly dangerous for systems connected to public networks. This weakness enables attackers to perform persistent service disruption attacks without requiring local access or authentication credentials, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1498 which covers network denial of service attacks.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate system updates and patches from SGI, though support for these older IRIX versions has long since ended. Organizations should implement network segmentation and firewall rules to limit UDP traffic to essential services only. Network monitoring solutions can detect anomalous UDP packet patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. The implementation of intrusion detection systems specifically designed to identify malformed UDP packets can provide early warning of potential attacks. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing redundant systems and backup solutions to maintain operational continuity during potential exploitation events. Security teams should also conduct thorough network audits to identify all systems running affected IRIX versions and prioritize their remediation or replacement.