CVE-2005-3241 in Ethereal
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple vulnerabilities in Ethereal 0.10.12 and earlier allow remote attackers to cause a denial of service (memory consumption) via unspecified vectors in the (1) ISAKMP, (2) FC-FCS, (3) RSVP, and (4) ISIS LSP dissector.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/16/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2005-3241 represents a significant denial of service weakness affecting Ethereal network protocol analyzer version 0.10.12 and earlier releases. This flaw manifests through multiple dissectors within the network analysis tool, specifically targeting ISAKMP, FC-FCS, RSVP, and ISIS LSP protocols. The vulnerability enables remote attackers to consume excessive memory resources on systems running affected versions of Ethereal, potentially leading to system instability and service disruption. These dissectors are responsible for parsing and interpreting specific network protocols used in security communications, storage area networks, and routing protocols respectively, making the impact particularly concerning for network infrastructure monitoring and security analysis environments.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and memory management within the protocol dissectors. When Ethereal processes packets containing specially crafted data for these specific protocols, the dissectors fail to properly handle malformed or unexpected packet structures, leading to uncontrolled memory allocation and consumption. This behavior aligns with CWE-122, which describes improper restriction of operations within the bounds of a memory buffer, and represents a classic example of memory exhaustion attacks that can be exploited through protocol parsing flaws. The vulnerability operates at the application layer of network analysis tools, where the software must process and interpret various network protocols to provide meaningful analysis to users. The affected dissectors are critical components that enable Ethereal to decode and display information from different network protocols, and their failure creates a cascading effect that can bring the entire application to a halt.
The operational impact of CVE-2005-3241 extends beyond simple application crashes, as it can severely disrupt network monitoring operations and security analysis activities. Organizations relying on Ethereal for network troubleshooting, security auditing, or protocol analysis may experience complete service outages when attackers exploit these vulnerabilities. The remote nature of the attack means that adversaries can trigger the denial of service condition without requiring physical access or local privileges, making it particularly dangerous in networked environments. This vulnerability directly impacts the availability aspect of the CIA triad, compromising the ability of network administrators to maintain continuous monitoring of their infrastructure. The attack vectors through ISAKMP, FC-FCS, RSVP, and ISIS LSP protocols suggest that the vulnerability affects various network security and infrastructure monitoring scenarios, including VPN connections, storage networks, and routing protocol analysis, which are fundamental components of enterprise network operations.
Security practitioners should prioritize immediate remediation through software updates to versions of Ethereal that address these memory consumption issues in the affected dissectors. The vulnerability represents a clear example of why network protocol analyzers must implement robust input validation and memory management practices, particularly when handling potentially malicious network traffic. Organizations should also consider implementing network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure to potential attackers who might exploit these vulnerabilities. Additionally, the incident highlights the importance of vulnerability management processes that include regular updates and patching of network monitoring tools. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to the T1499.004 technique related to network denial of service, where adversaries leverage protocol parsing flaws to exhaust system resources. The vulnerability also demonstrates the need for defensive measures such as network traffic filtering and monitoring for anomalous packet patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts, particularly in environments where Ethereal or similar tools are actively used for network analysis and security monitoring.