CVE-2005-1464 in Ethereal
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple unknown vulnerabilities in the (1) KINK, (2) L2TP, (3) MGCP, (4) EIGRP, (5) DLSw, (6) MEGACO, (7) LMP, and (8) RSVP dissectors in Ethereal before 0.10.11 allow remote attackers to cause a denial of service (infinite loop).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/29/2024
The vulnerability described in CVE-2005-1464 represents a critical flaw in the network protocol analysis tool Ethereal, specifically affecting multiple dissector components that process various network protocols. This issue impacts versions prior to 0.10.11 and exposes the software to remote denial of service attacks through infinite loop conditions. The affected dissectors include KINK, L2TP, MGCP, EIGRP, DLSw, MEGACO, LMP, and RSVP protocols, each serving distinct network communication functions. These dissectors are responsible for parsing and interpreting network traffic data, making them essential components for network monitoring and analysis. The vulnerability manifests when these dissectors encounter malformed or specially crafted network packets that trigger infinite loop conditions during packet processing, ultimately causing the application to become unresponsive and consume excessive system resources. This type of vulnerability falls under the category of improper input validation, which is classified as CWE-20 by the Common Weakness Enumeration framework, specifically addressing issues related to input validation and error handling.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption, as it affects network monitoring capabilities that organizations rely upon for security assessment and troubleshooting. When an attacker can force Ethereal to enter an infinite loop, they effectively disable the network analysis functionality, potentially leaving network administrators unable to monitor traffic or detect security incidents. The attack vector is particularly concerning as it requires no authentication or privileged access, making it a remote attack that can be executed from anywhere on the network. The infinite loop condition causes the application to consume 100% CPU resources, making it impossible for the tool to process additional network packets or respond to user commands. This vulnerability directly impacts the availability aspect of the CIA triad and can be classified under the ATT&CK technique T1499.1 for network denial of service attacks. Network security teams using Ethereal for traffic analysis, intrusion detection, or protocol debugging would face significant operational challenges when these dissectors are compromised.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate software updates to versions 0.10.11 or later, where the dissectors have been patched to properly handle malformed packets and prevent infinite loop conditions. System administrators should implement network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure to potentially malicious traffic, while also monitoring for unusual CPU usage patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. The patching process should include thorough testing in controlled environments before deployment to production systems. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing alternative network monitoring solutions that have been verified to be free from similar issues, particularly in critical network infrastructure monitoring scenarios. Regular vulnerability assessments and security audits should be conducted to identify potential weaknesses in network analysis tools and ensure that all components are running patched versions. Organizations relying on protocol analysis for security monitoring should also establish incident response procedures that include rapid identification and containment of denial of service attacks targeting network analysis tools. The vulnerability underscores the importance of proper error handling in network protocol analysis software and highlights the need for robust input validation mechanisms in network security tools to prevent resource exhaustion attacks.