CVE-2005-3242 in Ethereal
Summary
by MITRE
Ethereal 0.10.12 and earlier allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) via unknown vectors in (1) the IrDA dissector and (2) the SMB dissector when SMB transaction payload reassembly is enabled.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/10/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2005-3242 represents a critical denial of service flaw affecting Ethereal version 0.10.12 and earlier installations. This issue manifests through two distinct attack vectors within the network protocol analysis tool's dissector components, specifically targeting the IrDA (Infrared Data Association) dissector and the SMB (Server Message Block) dissector. The vulnerability becomes particularly dangerous when SMB transaction payload reassembly is enabled, creating a scenario where remote attackers can exploit these weaknesses to crash the application entirely.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from improper handling of packet data within the dissector modules. When Ethereal processes network traffic containing specially crafted packets designed to exploit these dissector flaws, the application fails to properly validate or handle the malformed data structures. This leads to memory corruption or unexpected program states that ultimately result in application termination. The IrDA dissector vulnerability likely involves improper bounds checking or buffer handling when processing infrared network protocol data, while the SMB dissector issue occurs during the reassembly process of SMB transaction payloads, suggesting problems with how the tool manages fragmented network data.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption, as it provides attackers with a method to remotely compromise network monitoring capabilities. Organizations relying on Ethereal for network analysis and security monitoring face significant risk when systems are vulnerable to this attack, as the crash can occur without any user interaction or specific network conditions. The vulnerability affects the core functionality of the network analysis tool, potentially leaving network administrators without crucial monitoring capabilities during critical security incidents. This type of denial of service attack directly impacts the availability of network security infrastructure and can be particularly devastating in environments where continuous network monitoring is essential for security operations.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2005-3242 require immediate action to upgrade to patched versions of Ethereal, which was later renamed Wireshark, as the vulnerability was addressed in subsequent releases. Organizations should also consider implementing network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure to potential attackers, while disabling SMB transaction payload reassembly when not required for specific analysis tasks. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-129, which covers improper validation of array indices, and may also relate to CWE-125, improper bounds checking, as these issues typically involve memory handling errors. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to the T1499.004 technique for network denial of service, as it specifically targets network analysis tools to disrupt monitoring capabilities. Network security teams should also implement monitoring for unusual network traffic patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts and establish regular patch management procedures to prevent similar vulnerabilities from affecting their security infrastructure.