CVE-2005-2304 in Internet Explorer
Summary
by MITRE
Microsoft MSN Messenger 9.0 and Internet Explorer 6.0 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) via an image with an ICC Profile with a large Tag Count.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/07/2019
The vulnerability described in CVE-2005-2304 represents a classic buffer overflow condition that affects Microsoft MSN Messenger 9.0 and Internet Explorer 6.0 applications. This flaw stems from insufficient input validation when processing image files containing ICC (International Color Consortium) profiles with excessively large tag counts. The issue manifests as a remote denial of service attack where malicious actors can craft specially formatted image files that trigger application crashes when these images are processed or displayed within the affected software environments. The vulnerability specifically targets the image parsing mechanisms within these applications, exploiting a lack of proper bounds checking on the ICC profile structure elements.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the manipulation of ICC profile metadata within image files, particularly focusing on the Tag Count field which specifies how many color profile tags are present in the file. When MSN Messenger or Internet Explorer encounters an image file with an ICC profile containing an abnormally large Tag Count value, the applications attempt to allocate memory or process the profile data without adequate validation of the specified count. This leads to memory corruption and subsequent application termination. The flaw falls under CWE-129, which addresses insufficient validation of length of input buffers, and specifically relates to improper handling of structured data formats within image processing libraries. The attack vector is remote since the malicious image can be delivered through various means including instant messaging, web browsing, or file sharing platforms where these applications process images.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple application crashes to potentially disrupt user productivity and communication services. In enterprise environments where MSN Messenger is used for business communications, this vulnerability could lead to significant operational downtime as users experience frequent application failures. The remote nature of the attack means that users can be compromised without their knowledge simply by viewing or receiving images through the affected messaging platform. This vulnerability also demonstrates the broader security implications of image processing libraries in client-side applications, as similar issues have been documented in other multimedia processing components. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to the T1499.004 technique involving network denial of service attacks and represents a classic example of how file format parsing vulnerabilities can be exploited to achieve system instability.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability include immediate patching of affected Microsoft applications through official security updates, which would implement proper bounds checking and input validation for ICC profile processing. Organizations should also implement network-based filtering to block image file transfers from untrusted sources, particularly in environments where MSN Messenger or Internet Explorer are actively used. The implementation of application whitelisting policies can prevent execution of potentially malicious image files, while regular security assessments should verify that all multimedia processing components are properly updated. Additionally, users should be educated about the risks of opening images from unknown sources, and system administrators should monitor for unusual application crash patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches across all client applications, as similar issues in other image processing libraries have been documented in various security advisories from Microsoft and other vendors.