CVE-2005-0848 in Secret Service In Harms Way
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple games developed by FUN labs, including 4X4 Off-road Adventure III, Big Game Hunter, Dangerous Hunts, Deer Hunt, Revolution, Secret Service, Shadow Force, and US Most Wanted, allow remote attackers to cause a denial of service via an empty UDP packet to the server, which cannot detect that a new packet has arrived using the socket ioctl.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/23/2017
This vulnerability affects multiple gaming titles developed by FUN labs and represents a classic denial of service flaw in networked game servers. The issue manifests when servers fail to properly detect incoming UDP packets that contain no data payload, creating a condition where legitimate network traffic cannot be processed correctly. The vulnerability stems from improper socket handling mechanisms that rely on the socket ioctl function to monitor packet arrival, which proves ineffective when dealing with empty UDP datagrams. This weakness allows remote attackers to exploit the game server architecture by simply sending empty UDP packets to the affected services, causing the server to become unresponsive and unable to serve legitimate players.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability demonstrates a fundamental flaw in network protocol handling within the game server software. When empty UDP packets arrive at the server, the ioctl system call fails to properly signal that new data has been received, leading to the server remaining in a state where it cannot process subsequent legitimate packets. This condition effectively creates a persistent denial of service scenario where the server continues to operate but becomes functionally unusable for players attempting to connect or interact with the game. The vulnerability specifically impacts UDP-based communication protocols and highlights the importance of proper socket monitoring and packet validation in networked applications.
From an operational standpoint, this vulnerability creates significant disruption for game services and players who rely on stable server connections. The impact extends beyond simple service interruption to potentially affecting player retention, game reputation, and overall service availability. Attackers can exploit this weakness with minimal resources, requiring only basic network tools to send empty UDP packets, making the attack vector particularly dangerous for online gaming services. The vulnerability affects multiple titles within the FUN labs portfolio, indicating a systemic issue in how these games handle network communication and suggesting that similar weaknesses may exist in other components of the gaming infrastructure. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-119, which addresses improper access to memory locations, and represents a specific instance of improper handling of network protocol data.
The security implications of this vulnerability extend to broader network security practices and highlight the importance of robust input validation and proper error handling in networked applications. Game servers, like other network services, must properly handle all types of incoming packets regardless of their content or size to maintain operational integrity. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this type of vulnerability under network denial of service techniques, where adversaries exploit weaknesses in network protocol implementations to disrupt service availability. Organizations should implement proper socket monitoring mechanisms that do not rely solely on ioctl calls for packet detection, instead using more robust methods such as select or poll system calls that can properly handle empty packet scenarios. Additionally, implementing rate limiting and packet filtering mechanisms can help mitigate the impact of such attacks while ensuring legitimate gameplay remains unaffected.