CVE-2005-1852 in ekg
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple integer overflows in libgadu, as used in Kopete in KDE 3.2.3 to 3.4.1, ekg before 1.6rc3, GNU Gadu, CenterICQ, Kadu, and other packages, allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) and possibly execute arbitrary code via an incoming message.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/07/2019
The vulnerability described in CVE-2005-1852 represents a critical security flaw affecting multiple instant messaging clients that utilize the libgadu library for communication with the Gadu-Gadu messaging network. This library serves as the core component for handling protocol communications in various open source messaging applications, making it a prime target for exploitation. The vulnerability specifically manifests as integer overflows that occur during the processing of incoming messages, affecting versions of Kopete from 3.2.3 through 3.4.1, ekg before 1.6rc3, and other packages that depend on the same underlying library. The flaw exists in the way these applications handle message length fields and buffer allocations, creating opportunities for malicious actors to craft specially crafted messages that trigger memory corruption conditions.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves improper bounds checking within the message parsing routines of the libgadu library. When processing incoming messages, the library performs arithmetic operations on integer values that represent message sizes or offsets, without adequate validation of these values against reasonable limits. This allows attackers to manipulate message headers to contain values that exceed the maximum representable integer, causing signed integer overflow conditions. According to CWE-190, this corresponds to an integer overflow vulnerability where the result of an arithmetic operation exceeds the maximum value that can be represented by the data type, leading to unpredictable behavior. The overflow conditions can result in negative values being used as array indices or buffer sizes, which can corrupt memory structures and potentially allow for code execution.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service conditions, as the integer overflows can be leveraged to execute arbitrary code on vulnerable systems. When a victim receives a specially crafted message, the overflow conditions cause the application to behave unpredictably, often resulting in crashes that terminate the messaging client. However, in some cases, the corrupted memory state can be manipulated to redirect program execution flow, potentially allowing remote attackers to execute malicious code with the privileges of the affected user. This aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203, where adversaries leverage software vulnerabilities to execute code, and represents a significant threat to user systems that rely on these messaging applications. The vulnerability affects a wide range of desktop environments and messaging protocols, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited across multiple platforms and applications.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2005-1852 require immediate patching of affected applications and libraries to address the integer overflow conditions in the libgadu library. System administrators should prioritize updating Kopete, ekg, GNU Gadu, CenterICQ, Kadu, and any other affected applications to versions that contain proper bounds checking and integer overflow protection mechanisms. The fix typically involves implementing proper validation of message length fields before performing arithmetic operations, ensuring that integer values remain within acceptable ranges and preventing overflow conditions from occurring. Additionally, network administrators should consider implementing message filtering or sanitization at network boundaries to prevent malicious messages from reaching vulnerable clients. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper input validation and bounds checking in security-critical applications, particularly those handling untrusted network data. Organizations should also implement regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning to identify similar issues in other components of their messaging infrastructure, as integer overflows remain a common class of vulnerabilities that can lead to serious security consequences.