CVE-2005-1402 in Mtp-Target
Summary
by MITRE
Integer signedness error in certain older versions of the NeL library, as used in Mtp-Target 1.2.2 and earlier, and possibly other products, allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (memory consumption or server crash) via a negative value in a STLport call, which is not caught by a signed comparison.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/22/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2005-1402 represents a critical integer signedness error within the NeL library implementation that affects Mtp-Target version 1.2.2 and earlier releases. This flaw stems from improper handling of signed integer values during STLport library calls, creating a condition where negative values can propagate through the system without proper validation. The vulnerability manifests when the system processes input data that contains negative integers, which are not adequately checked against signed comparison mechanisms that should have caught such invalid values.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through a specific pattern where remote attackers can craft malicious input that includes negative values in STLport function calls. These negative values bypass the expected signed comparison checks that should have prevented their processing, leading to unpredictable behavior within the memory management subsystem. The flaw operates at the intersection of integer arithmetic and memory allocation, where signed integer overflow conditions can cause memory consumption anomalies or outright system crashes. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-191 category of Integer Underflow (Wrap or Wraparound) and specifically aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.004 for Network Denial of Service.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption to encompass potential system instability and resource exhaustion. When negative values are processed through the vulnerable library functions, the system may attempt to allocate memory blocks with invalid sizes or perform operations that cause memory corruption. This can result in either gradual memory consumption that leads to system slowdowns or immediate system crashes that completely terminate service availability. The remote nature of the attack means that adversaries can exploit this vulnerability from external networks without requiring local system access, making it particularly dangerous for network-facing applications.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2005-1402 must address both immediate patching requirements and architectural improvements to prevent similar issues in future implementations. The primary recommendation involves upgrading to patched versions of Mtp-Target that contain proper signed integer validation and bounds checking mechanisms. Organizations should implement input sanitization routines that explicitly check for negative values in all integer parameters before processing, particularly those that interface with STLport or similar standard library components. Additionally, memory allocation functions should include comprehensive bounds checking and validation to prevent allocation of invalid memory regions. The implementation of static code analysis tools that can detect signedness errors and integer overflow conditions should be integrated into the development lifecycle. Security monitoring should include detection of anomalous memory consumption patterns and unexpected process termination events that could indicate exploitation of this vulnerability. Regular vulnerability assessments and penetration testing should specifically target integer handling code sections to identify similar issues that may exist in other components of the system architecture.