CVE-2005-1164 in Yager Game
Summary
by MITRE
Yager 5.24 and earlier allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (application hang) via a packet with a game header that provides less data than indicated by the length.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/25/2017
The vulnerability described in CVE-2005-1164 affects Yager 5.24 and earlier versions, representing a classic buffer underflow condition that can be exploited to trigger a denial of service scenario. This issue stems from the application's failure to properly validate packet headers during network communication, specifically when processing game data packets. The flaw manifests when a maliciously crafted packet contains a game header indicating a certain data length while actually providing insufficient data to satisfy that length specification. This discrepancy creates a condition where the application's parsing logic attempts to read beyond the actual available data, leading to unpredictable behavior and ultimately application hang.
From a technical perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-129, which addresses issues related to insufficient validation of length fields in data structures. The root cause lies in the application's inadequate input validation mechanisms, particularly in its network packet processing routines. When the application encounters a packet header claiming X bytes of data but only receives Y bytes where Y is less than X, the parsing algorithm fails to handle this boundary condition gracefully. The lack of proper bounds checking and error handling in the packet processing pipeline creates an execution path that leads to resource exhaustion or thread blocking, resulting in the application becoming unresponsive to legitimate network traffic.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption, as it can be exploited by remote attackers without requiring authentication or special privileges. Attackers can simply send malformed packets to the affected Yager application, causing it to enter a state where it becomes unresponsive to further network requests. This creates a persistent denial of service condition that can affect game sessions, server availability, and overall user experience. The vulnerability is particularly concerning in multiplayer gaming environments where server stability is critical for maintaining game sessions and player engagement.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing robust input validation and boundary checking mechanisms within the application's network processing components. The most effective approach involves modifying the packet parsing logic to verify that the actual data length matches the indicated length in packet headers before proceeding with data processing. This aligns with ATT&CK technique T1498, which addresses denial of service attacks through malformed input handling. Additionally, implementing proper error handling and timeout mechanisms can help prevent the application from hanging indefinitely when encountering malformed packets. The recommended solution includes updating to Yager version 5.25 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address this vulnerability. Organizations should also consider implementing network monitoring solutions to detect and block suspicious packet patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts.