CVE-2004-2361 in Game Engine
Summary
by MITRE
Digital Reality game engine, as used in Haegemonia 1.0 through 1.0.7 and Desert Rats vs. Afrika Korps 1.0, allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) via a chat message with a large message size, which triggers an out-of-bounds read.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/18/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2004-2361 represents a critical denial of service weakness within the Digital Reality game engine implementation. This flaw affects specific versions of two popular strategy games including Haegemonia 1.0 through 1.0.7 and Desert Rats vs. Afrika Korps 1.0, indicating a widespread issue within the game engine's chat functionality. The vulnerability manifests when remote attackers exploit the chat system by sending specially crafted messages containing excessive data payloads that exceed normal operational parameters. This particular weakness falls under the category of out-of-bounds read conditions, where the game engine fails to properly validate message length parameters before processing incoming chat data. The technical execution involves the engine attempting to access memory locations beyond the allocated buffer boundaries when handling oversized chat messages, leading to unpredictable behavior and eventual system crash.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption as it creates a potential vector for malicious actors to systematically destabilize multiplayer gaming environments. When exploited, the vulnerability forces game clients to terminate unexpectedly, disrupting ongoing gameplay sessions and potentially affecting player experience across connected networks. The flaw demonstrates a classic buffer overflow scenario where input validation mechanisms are insufficient to handle edge cases involving oversized data inputs. From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-125, which specifically addresses out-of-bounds read conditions, and represents a significant weakness in the application's defensive programming practices. The attack surface is particularly concerning given that chat systems are typically accessible to all connected users, making this vulnerability easily exploitable by anyone with network access to the game server.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2004-2361 should focus on implementing robust input validation mechanisms within the chat system's message processing pipeline. Game developers and administrators should establish strict message length limitations and implement proper buffer management techniques to prevent memory access violations. The solution involves adding comprehensive bounds checking before any chat message processing occurs, ensuring that all incoming data conforms to predefined size parameters. Additionally, implementing rate limiting and message sanitization protocols can help prevent exploitation attempts while maintaining legitimate user functionality. From an operational security standpoint, this vulnerability highlights the importance of secure coding practices and regular security assessments of gaming applications. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this type of vulnerability under privilege escalation and denial of service tactics, emphasizing the need for layered defensive measures. Network administrators should also consider implementing intrusion detection systems to monitor for unusual chat message patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts, while developers should prioritize secure coding training to prevent similar vulnerabilities in future releases.