CVE-2005-3246 in Ethereal
Summary
by MITRE
Ethereal 0.10.12 and earlier allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (null dereference) via unknown vectors in the (1) SCSI, (2) sFlow, or (3) RTnet dissectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/10/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2005-3246 represents a critical denial of service flaw affecting Ethereal version 0.10.12 and earlier. This issue manifests through null pointer dereference conditions within three specific network protocol dissectors: SCSI, sFlow, and RTnet. The vulnerability demonstrates the classic pattern of insufficient input validation and error handling in network protocol analysis tools, where malformed or unexpected packet data can trigger unexpected program behavior. The root cause lies in the dissectors' failure to properly validate input parameters before attempting to access memory locations, creating opportunities for remote attackers to exploit these weaknesses through crafted network traffic.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability exploits the fundamental architecture of protocol dissectors within network analysis tools. When Ethereal processes network packets containing malformed data specific to SCSI, sFlow, or RTnet protocols, the dissectors attempt to access memory addresses that have not been properly initialized or validated. This null pointer dereference condition causes the application to crash or terminate unexpectedly, effectively rendering the network monitoring functionality unavailable. The vulnerability's impact is particularly severe because it affects core protocol analysis components that are essential for network traffic inspection and monitoring operations. The issue demonstrates poor defensive programming practices where proper error handling and input validation mechanisms were either absent or insufficiently implemented.
Operationally, this vulnerability creates significant disruption for network administrators and security professionals who rely on Ethereal for network monitoring and analysis. A remote attacker capable of sending specially crafted packets to a system running the vulnerable Ethereal version can immediately cause the application to crash, resulting in complete denial of service for network traffic analysis capabilities. This affects not only the immediate monitoring functionality but can also impact broader network security operations that depend on continuous traffic inspection. The vulnerability's remote exploitability means that attackers do not need physical access to the target system, making it particularly dangerous in networked environments where untrusted network traffic flows through monitoring systems. The impact extends beyond simple service interruption to potentially exposing network security gaps and operational vulnerabilities that could be exploited for more sophisticated attacks.
The remediation approach for this vulnerability requires immediate patching of the Ethereal application to version 0.10.13 or later, which contains the necessary fixes for the null pointer dereference conditions in the affected dissectors. Network administrators should also implement additional defensive measures including network segmentation, traffic filtering, and monitoring for unusual packet patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-476, which specifically addresses null pointer dereference conditions in software applications, and represents a classic example of how protocol parsing vulnerabilities can lead to denial of service conditions. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to the T1499.004 technique related to network denial of service, and could potentially be leveraged as part of broader reconnaissance or exploitation campaigns targeting network infrastructure monitoring systems. Organizations should also consider implementing intrusion detection systems that can identify and block malformed packets targeting known protocol dissector vulnerabilities, while maintaining regular updates to all network monitoring tools to prevent similar issues from arising in the future.