CVE-2004-2273 in efFingerD
Summary
by MITRE
efFingerD 0.2.12 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (daemon crash) via a packet with a single byte, which triggers a "Wrong protocol or connection state" error.
If you want to get best quality of vulnerability data, you may have to visit VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/25/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2004-2273 affects efFingerD version 0.2.12, a finger daemon implementation that provides network services for retrieving user information from remote systems. This daemon operates on TCP port 79 and follows the finger protocol specifications defined in RFC 1288, making it a critical component in network administration and user information retrieval systems. The flaw manifests when the service receives malformed network traffic containing a single byte packet that triggers an improper protocol handling mechanism within the daemon's network processing code.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and error handling within the efFingerD daemon's protocol parsing routines. When processing a single byte packet, the daemon fails to properly validate the incoming data against established protocol expectations, leading to a state where the connection management system encounters an unexpected condition. This mismanagement results in a "Wrong protocol or connection state" error that causes the daemon process to terminate abruptly, thereby creating a denial of service condition that affects legitimate users attempting to access the finger service.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption as it represents a classic remote code execution vector that could be exploited by malicious actors to systematically destabilize network infrastructure. Network administrators relying on finger services for user information access would experience complete service unavailability, potentially affecting system monitoring, user account management, and network diagnostics capabilities. The vulnerability's remote nature means that attackers can exploit it without requiring local system access or authentication credentials, making it particularly dangerous in production environments where finger services might be exposed to untrusted networks.
From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-129, which addresses improper input validation, and represents a specific instance of CWE-248, involving an exception being thrown for an unspecified reason. The attack pattern corresponds to techniques described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under T1499, specifically targeting service availability through denial of service attacks. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including disabling the finger service if not actively required, applying the latest security patches to efFingerD versions, and implementing network segmentation to limit exposure to untrusted networks. Additionally, monitoring for unusual connection patterns and implementing intrusion detection systems can help identify exploitation attempts before they succeed in causing service disruption.