CVE-2005-0807 in Cain And Abel
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple buffer overflows in Cain & Abel before 2.67 allow remote attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) and possibly execute arbitrary code via (1) an IKE packet with a large ID field that is not properly handled by the PSK sniffer filter, (2) the HTTP sniffer filter, or the (3) POP3, (4) SMTP, (5) IMAP, (6) NNTP, or (7) TDS sniffer filters.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/26/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2005-0807 represents a critical security flaw in Cain & Abel network analysis software version 2.67 and earlier. This software, widely used by security professionals for password recovery and network monitoring, contained multiple buffer overflow conditions that could be exploited by remote attackers to compromise system integrity. The vulnerability affects several core sniffer modules within the application, making it particularly dangerous as it could be triggered through various network protocols and communication channels.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from improper input validation within the protocol sniffer components of Cain & Abel. Specifically, the IKE packet processing module fails to properly validate the size of ID fields in Internet Key Exchange packets, allowing attackers to craft malicious packets with oversized ID fields that exceed buffer boundaries. Additionally, the HTTP sniffer filter and multiple protocol sniffer filters for POP3, SMTP, IMAP, NNTP, and TDS protocols all suffer from similar buffer overflow conditions where incoming data is not adequately checked for size constraints before being copied into fixed-size memory buffers. These buffer overflows occur in the application's network packet processing code, which directly handles incoming network traffic without proper bounds checking mechanisms.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service conditions to potentially enable remote code execution. When attackers exploit these buffer overflows, they can cause the application to crash and potentially overwrite critical memory locations, allowing for arbitrary code execution on the target system. This makes Cain & Abel vulnerable to exploitation by malicious actors who could use these vulnerabilities to gain unauthorized access to systems, particularly in environments where security professionals rely on the tool for legitimate network monitoring activities. The vulnerability affects both the stability and security of the application, creating a potential attack surface that could be leveraged for more sophisticated attacks.
From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability maps directly to CWE-121, which describes heap-based buffer overflow conditions, and CWE-122, which covers stack-based buffer overflow scenarios. The attack patterns align with MITRE ATT&CK techniques including T1046 for network service scanning and T1059 for command and scripting interpreter usage. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of input validation in network applications and highlights how even legitimate security tools can contain exploitable code when proper memory management practices are not implemented. Organizations using Cain & Abel should immediately upgrade to version 2.67 or later to mitigate these risks, as the software's widespread use in penetration testing and security auditing makes it an attractive target for exploitation.
The root cause of these vulnerabilities lies in the absence of proper bounds checking and input validation within the application's network packet handling code. When processing network traffic, the software fails to implement defensive programming practices that would prevent buffer overflows by validating data sizes before memory allocation. This lack of input sanitization creates predictable memory corruption conditions that attackers can exploit through carefully crafted network packets designed to exceed buffer boundaries. The vulnerability affects the application's ability to handle legitimate network traffic while simultaneously creating opportunities for malicious exploitation. Security practitioners should implement network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure while ensuring proper patch management protocols are followed to address this and similar vulnerabilities in security tools.