CVE-2005-1431 in GnuTLS
Summary
by MITRE
The "record packet parsing" in GnuTLS 1.2 before 1.2.3 and 1.0 before 1.0.25 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service, possibly related to padding bytes in gnutils_cipher.c.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/02/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2005-1431 represents a critical flaw in the GnuTLS cryptographic library that affects versions prior to 1.2.3 and 1.0.25. This issue resides within the record packet parsing functionality of the library, which is fundamental to secure communication protocols. The vulnerability specifically targets the handling of padding bytes during cipher operations, creating a potential avenue for remote attackers to disrupt service availability. The flaw demonstrates the importance of proper input validation and memory management in cryptographic implementations where even subtle parsing errors can lead to system instability.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from improper handling of padding bytes within the gnutils_cipher.c source file. When processing network packets containing encrypted data, the GnuTLS library fails to properly validate or sanitize padding information that accompanies cryptographic records. This parsing error occurs during the decryption process where the library attempts to interpret and process padding bytes that are part of the cipher text structure. The flaw allows attackers to craft specially malformed packets that trigger unexpected behavior in the library's packet processing routines, leading to memory corruption or resource exhaustion conditions that ultimately result in denial of service.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risks to systems relying on GnuTLS for secure communications. The remote attack vector means that adversaries can exploit this flaw from any network location without requiring local access or authentication credentials. The denial of service impact can affect web servers, email servers, and any application that utilizes GnuTLS for SSL/TLS encryption. Attackers can potentially cause system crashes, restarts, or resource exhaustion that renders services unavailable to legitimate users. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond individual systems to potentially affect entire service infrastructures, particularly when multiple vulnerable components are deployed within the same network environment.
The mitigation strategy for CVE-2005-1431 requires immediate patching of affected GnuTLS installations to versions 1.2.3 or 1.0.25 and later. System administrators should prioritize updating all instances of the library across their infrastructure, particularly those serving critical network services. Additionally, network monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual traffic patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-129, which addresses improper validation of array indices, and relates to ATT&CK technique T1499.004 for network denial of service attacks. Organizations should also implement proper input sanitization measures and consider deploying intrusion detection systems to monitor for exploitation attempts targeting cryptographic libraries. Regular vulnerability assessments and security audits should be conducted to ensure comprehensive protection against similar issues in other cryptographic implementations.