CVE-2005-0162 in Openswan
Summary
by MITRE
Stack-based buffer overflow in the get_internal_addresses function in the pluto application for Openswan 1.x before 1.0.9, and Openswan 2.x before 2.3.0, when compiled with XAUTH and PAM enabled, allows remote authenticated attackers to execute arbitrary code.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/10/2021
The vulnerability described in CVE-2005-0162 represents a critical stack-based buffer overflow affecting the pluto application within Openswan IPsec implementations. This flaw exists specifically within the get_internal_addresses function and impacts versions of Openswan 1.x prior to 1.0.9 and 2.x prior to 2.3.0. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it requires only authenticated access to exploit, making it accessible to users who have established legitimate connections to the system. The buffer overflow occurs when the application processes certain input parameters related to internal address resolution during the authentication process.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from improper bounds checking within the get_internal_addresses function where the application fails to validate the length of input data before copying it into a fixed-size stack buffer. This classic programming error allows an authenticated attacker to overflow the buffer and overwrite adjacent memory locations including return addresses and control data. The exploitation requires the system to be compiled with XAUTH and PAM authentication enabled, which creates the specific conditions under which the vulnerable code path is executed. When an authenticated user submits carefully crafted input parameters, the overflow can be leveraged to redirect program execution flow and potentially execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the pluto process.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple code execution as it represents a privilege escalation vector within IPsec infrastructure. Since pluto is the key management daemon responsible for establishing and maintaining IPsec security associations, compromising this component can lead to complete network security breaches. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability gains the ability to manipulate IPsec tunnels, potentially intercepting or modifying encrypted communications between network endpoints. The vulnerability also aligns with CWE-121 stack-based buffer overflow classification, which is categorized under the broader weakness of insufficient control flow protection. From an attack perspective, this vulnerability maps to several ATT&CK techniques including privilege escalation through code injection and defense evasion by leveraging legitimate system processes.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2005-0162 must address both immediate remediation and long-term security posture improvements. The primary and most effective mitigation involves upgrading to Openswan versions 1.0.9 or 2.3.0 and later, which contain the necessary patches to prevent the buffer overflow condition. Organizations should also implement network segmentation and monitoring to detect anomalous authentication patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of input validation and proper memory management practices in security-critical applications. Additionally, system administrators should consider disabling unnecessary authentication mechanisms such as XAUTH when not required, reducing the attack surface. Security hardening measures including stack protection mechanisms and address space layout randomization should be implemented to further reduce exploit reliability. The vulnerability underscores the critical need for regular security updates and proper code review processes to identify and remediate similar buffer overflow conditions in network security infrastructure components.