CVE-2004-2080 in Red-Alert
Summary
by MITRE
Red-M Red-Alert 2.7.5 with software 3.1 build 24 converts multiple spaces in a Service Set Identifier (SSID) to a single space, which prevents Red-Alert from correctly identifying the SSID.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/17/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2004-2080 affects Red-M Red-Alert 2.7.5 version with software 3.1 build 24, specifically targeting wireless network security monitoring capabilities. This issue manifests in the improper handling of Service Set Identifiers within wireless local area networks, creating a potential security gap in network identification and monitoring processes. The flaw demonstrates a critical weakness in how the system processes and interprets wireless network identifiers, which directly impacts the accuracy of network monitoring and detection mechanisms.
The technical flaw stems from the software's inability to properly handle multiple consecutive spaces within SSID values during the conversion process. When multiple spaces exist within an SSID, the system collapses them into a single space, fundamentally altering the identifier's original representation. This behavior creates a mismatch between the actual network identifier and the one recognized by the monitoring system, leading to incorrect network identification and potential security blind spots. The vulnerability represents a specific implementation error in string processing and normalization routines that should preserve the original SSID format without modification.
Operationally, this vulnerability compromises the effectiveness of wireless network monitoring by creating false negatives in network identification. Security administrators relying on Red-Alert for network surveillance may miss critical network events or incorrectly classify wireless networks, particularly those with SSIDs containing multiple spaces. The impact extends beyond simple identification issues as it undermines the integrity of network monitoring data, potentially allowing malicious actors to exploit the misidentification to evade detection or conduct targeted attacks against networks that would otherwise be properly monitored. This flaw particularly affects environments where wireless networks use SSIDs with intentional spacing for identification purposes or where multiple spaces are used to create specific network patterns.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-129, which addresses improper handling of input boundaries, and demonstrates characteristics consistent with input validation weaknesses in network monitoring systems. From an ATT&CK perspective, this issue relates to defense evasion techniques where adversaries might manipulate SSID formatting to avoid detection, and potentially impacts the adversary's ability to conduct reconnaissance or establish persistence within monitored networks. Organizations should implement immediate patching procedures to address this specific version of Red-Alert software, while also considering broader network monitoring strategies that account for potential SSID manipulation. Additional mitigations may include implementing secondary verification mechanisms for network identification, establishing more robust monitoring protocols that can detect and flag unusual SSID patterns, and ensuring that network security tools maintain consistent handling of whitespace characters in network identifiers to prevent similar issues in other monitoring systems.