CVE-2005-1204 in Desktop Rover
Summary
by MITRE
Desktop Rover 3.0, and possibly earlier versions, allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) via a crafted packet to TCP port 61427, which causes an invalid memory access.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/23/2025
Desktop Rover is a remote administration tool that enables users to control computers remotely over a network connection. The vulnerability exists in version 3.0 and potentially earlier releases of this software. The flaw manifests when the application receives a specially crafted network packet on TCP port 61427, which is the default listening port for Desktop Rover services. This specific vulnerability represents a classic buffer overflow condition that occurs during packet processing, where the application fails to properly validate incoming data before attempting to process it. The malformed packet triggers an invalid memory access operation that causes the application to crash and terminate unexpectedly, resulting in a denial of service condition that affects legitimate users attempting to establish remote connections.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation mechanisms within the Desktop Rover application's network handling code. When the software receives data on port 61427, it attempts to parse the incoming packet without sufficient bounds checking or memory allocation validation. This processing error creates an opportunity for attackers to craft malicious packets that exploit memory corruption patterns, leading to the application's abrupt termination. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-125: Out-of-bounds Read and CWE-787: Out-of-bounds Write, both of which describe improper bounds checking in memory operations. From an operational perspective, this vulnerability represents a significant security risk because it allows remote unauthenticated attackers to disrupt service availability without requiring any privileged access or credentials, making it particularly dangerous in production environments where continuous availability is critical.
The impact of this denial of service vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption, as it can be leveraged as part of broader attack campaigns targeting remote administration tools. Attackers can exploit this weakness to repeatedly crash the Desktop Rover service, preventing legitimate remote access and potentially causing operational downtime for systems that depend on this tool for management and support functions. The vulnerability's exploitation requires minimal technical skill and can be automated through simple network packet crafting tools, making it accessible to a wide range of threat actors. Organizations using Desktop Rover should consider implementing network segmentation and firewall rules to restrict access to TCP port 61427, particularly from untrusted networks. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this type of vulnerability exploitation under T1499: Endpoint Denial of Service, which encompasses techniques that target application-level services to prevent legitimate use. Additionally, this vulnerability demonstrates the importance of secure coding practices and input validation, which are fundamental requirements of the OWASP Top Ten security principles and should be addressed through comprehensive code review processes and security testing protocols.