CVE-2005-0295 in Guard
Summary
by MITRE
npptnt2.sys in nprotect gameguard provides unrestricted i/o to any process that calls it which allows local users to gain privileges.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/21/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2005-0295 resides within the npptnt2.sys kernel driver component of NProtect GameGuard, a security solution designed to protect online gaming environments from cheating and unauthorized modifications. This driver operates at the kernel level and provides functionality for process monitoring and system protection within gaming contexts. The flaw manifests as an improper access control mechanism that grants unrestricted input/output operations to any process capable of invoking the driver's interfaces. This represents a critical security weakness that directly violates fundamental security principles of privilege separation and access control enforcement.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the driver's failure to properly validate or authenticate callers before granting them access to its I/O capabilities. When processes interact with the npptnt2.sys driver, they can perform arbitrary read and write operations against system memory and hardware resources without proper authorization checks. This design flaw allows any local user process to leverage the driver's functionality to manipulate system resources, potentially enabling privilege escalation attacks. The vulnerability operates at the kernel level, meaning that successful exploitation can result in complete system compromise. This type of flaw aligns with CWE-284, which describes improper access control vulnerabilities where insufficient authorization checks allow unauthorized access to system resources. The attack vector is particularly concerning because it requires no special privileges to initiate the exploit, making it accessible to any user account on the system.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates a severe risk for systems running NProtect GameGuard, particularly in environments where gaming applications are prevalent. Local attackers can exploit this weakness to escalate their privileges from standard user level to system administrator level, gaining complete control over affected systems. The implications extend beyond simple privilege escalation as attackers can use the unrestricted I/O capabilities to modify critical system files, install malware, or extract sensitive data from memory. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous in gaming environments where users might be running untrusted applications or where gaming sessions are shared across multiple users. This type of local privilege escalation vulnerability is categorized under ATT&CK technique T1068, which describes local privilege escalation through kernel exploits, and represents a significant threat to system integrity and confidentiality. The impact is compounded by the fact that the vulnerability exists in a security product that is expected to provide protection, creating a paradoxical situation where the security solution itself becomes a vector for system compromise.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2005-0295 require immediate action to address the root cause of the vulnerability. The primary recommendation involves updating to the latest version of NProtect GameGuard that contains patches addressing the improper access control issue. System administrators should also consider removing or disabling the vulnerable driver if the gaming protection functionality is not essential for system operations. Additional protective measures include implementing strict process monitoring to detect unauthorized access attempts to kernel drivers, enabling kernel-mode code integrity checks, and deploying application whitelisting policies to prevent unauthorized processes from interacting with the vulnerable driver. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper kernel driver security implementation and highlights the need for comprehensive security testing of system-level components. Organizations should also consider implementing network segmentation and access controls to limit the potential impact of successful exploitation attempts, while maintaining regular vulnerability assessments to identify similar issues in other system components.