CVE-2005-1459 in Ethereal
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple unknown vulnerabilities in the (1) WSP, (2) BER, (3) SMB, (4) NDPS, (5) IAX2, (6) RADIUS, (7) TCAP, (8) MRDISC, (9) 802.3 Slow, (10) SMBMailslot, or (11) SMB PIPE dissectors in Ethereal before 0.10.11 allow remote attackers to cause a denial of service (assert error).
If you want to get the best quality for vulnerability data then you always have to consider VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/29/2024
The vulnerability described in CVE-2005-1459 represents a critical denial of service weakness affecting multiple protocol dissectors within Ethereal network analysis software. This issue impacts eleven distinct protocol layers including WSP, BER, SMB, NDPS, IAX2, RADIUS, TCAP, MRDISC, 802.3 Slow, SMBMailslot, and SMB PIPE dissectors. The flaw manifests as an assertion error that occurs during packet processing, effectively causing the application to crash and terminate unexpectedly. This vulnerability exists in Ethereal versions prior to 0.10.11, making it a significant concern for network security professionals who rely on this tool for protocol analysis and network monitoring.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and error handling within the protocol dissectors. When Ethereal encounters malformed or unexpected packet data for any of these eleven protocols, the dissectors fail to properly handle the edge cases, leading to assertion failures that terminate the application. This represents a classic buffer overflow or improper state management issue where the software does not anticipate or gracefully handle malformed data inputs. The vulnerability specifically affects the packet dissection process rather than the capture functionality, meaning that even if an attacker cannot directly execute code, they can reliably disrupt network monitoring operations by sending specially crafted packets.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption to create significant reliability issues for network administrators and security analysts. In network monitoring environments where Ethereal is deployed for continuous packet analysis, an attacker could repeatedly send malformed packets to cause repeated service outages, effectively creating a denial of service condition that prevents legitimate network analysis activities. This vulnerability is particularly dangerous in environments where network monitoring tools are critical for security operations, as it could be exploited to mask malicious network activity or prevent security teams from analyzing network traffic during security incidents. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-248, which addresses "Uncaught Exception" conditions, and demonstrates how improper exception handling can lead to complete application termination.
Organizations utilizing Ethereal for network analysis should prioritize immediate patching to version 0.10.11 or later, which contains the necessary fixes for these protocol dissector vulnerabilities. The mitigation strategy should include implementing network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure to potentially malicious traffic, while also establishing monitoring for unusual packet patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. Network administrators should consider deploying alternative network analysis tools that have been verified as more resilient to malformed packet inputs, particularly in environments where network monitoring reliability is critical. This vulnerability also highlights the importance of proper input validation and error handling in network security tools, as demonstrated by the ATT&CK technique T1499.002 for "Unnecessary Administrative Access" and T1566.002 for "Phishing for Information" where such vulnerabilities could be leveraged to disrupt security operations and create opportunities for more sophisticated attacks. The fix implemented in the patched version likely involved enhanced input validation, improved error handling mechanisms, and more robust state management within the protocol dissectors to prevent assertion failures when encountering malformed network data.