CVE-2005-2904 in Zebedee
Summary
by MITRE
Zebedee 2.4.1, when "allowed redirection port" is not set, allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) via a zero in the port number of the protocol option header, which triggers an assert error in the makeConnection function in zebedee.c.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/25/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2005-2904 affects Zebedee version 2.4.1, a network tunneling and proxy software designed to create secure connections between networks. This issue represents a classic buffer overflow condition that manifests through improper input validation within the application's connection handling mechanism. The flaw specifically occurs when the "allowed redirection port" configuration parameter remains unset, creating a critical security gap that adversaries can exploit to disrupt service availability.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability resides in the makeConnection function located within the zebedee.c source file. When a remote attacker sends a specially crafted protocol option header containing a zero value in the port number field, the application fails to properly validate this input before processing. This validation failure triggers an assertion error that causes the application to terminate unexpectedly, resulting in a denial of service condition that affects all users attempting to establish connections through the vulnerable Zebedee instance.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a significant risk to organizations relying on Zebedee for network connectivity and security. The attack requires minimal sophistication and can be executed remotely without authentication, making it particularly dangerous in production environments. The denial of service impact extends beyond simple disruption, as it can compromise the availability of critical network services that depend on Zebedee's tunneling capabilities for secure communication between remote locations.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-129, which addresses improper validation of input boundaries, and demonstrates characteristics consistent with CWE-682, involving incorrect arithmetic operations that can lead to unexpected behavior. From an adversarial perspective, this flaw maps to ATT&CK technique T1499.004, specifically targeting network denial of service through application or system exploitation. The vulnerability's exploitation path involves sending malformed network packets that trigger the assertion failure, making it a straightforward target for automated scanning tools that seek to identify and exploit such weaknesses in network infrastructure software.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigation strategies including setting the "allowed redirection port" parameter to appropriate values, applying available patches from the software vendor, and implementing network monitoring to detect anomalous traffic patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. Network segmentation and access controls should be strengthened to limit exposure of vulnerable Zebedee instances, while regular security assessments should be conducted to identify other potential vulnerabilities in similar network infrastructure components. The remediation process should also include comprehensive testing to ensure that the configuration changes do not negatively impact legitimate network operations while effectively preventing the denial of service condition.