CVE-2005-3492 in FlatFrag
Summary
by MITRE
FlatFrag 0.3 and earlier allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) by sending an NT_CONN_OK command from a client that is not connected, which triggers a null dereference.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/12/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2005-3492 affects FlatFrag version 0.3 and earlier, representing a critical security flaw that can be exploited to cause remote denial of service conditions. This issue specifically manifests when the system processes an NT_CONN_OK command from a client that is not properly connected to the network infrastructure. The flaw resides in the protocol implementation where the system fails to validate client connection states before processing authentication commands, creating a dangerous scenario where malformed or unauthorized communication attempts can disrupt normal operations.
The technical execution of this vulnerability involves a null dereference condition that occurs when the FlatFrag system attempts to process the NT_CONN_OK command without proper validation of the client's connection status. This null dereference represents a classic software bug pattern that falls under the CWE-476 category of NULL Pointer Dereference, where the application attempts to access memory locations that have not been properly initialized or allocated. When an unauthorized client sends this command, the system's internal state management fails to handle the unexpected condition gracefully, leading to an immediate system crash or termination of the service process.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption, as it can be leveraged by malicious actors to systematically degrade network availability and compromise the reliability of the affected system. Attackers can repeatedly send these malformed commands to cause sustained denial of service conditions, potentially leading to complete system unavailability for legitimate users. The vulnerability demonstrates poor input validation and state management practices that are particularly concerning in network services where external communication is expected and must be properly authenticated before processing.
This flaw aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.004 for Network Denial of Service, where adversaries exploit weaknesses in protocol implementations to disrupt service availability. The vulnerability also reflects poor secure coding practices related to error handling and resource management, as the system fails to implement proper null checks before dereferencing pointers. Organizations using FlatFrag versions 0.3 or earlier should immediately implement mitigations including protocol-level filtering to prevent unauthorized command processing, enhanced input validation to verify client connection states, and application-level monitoring to detect and block suspicious command sequences. Additionally, the system should be upgraded to a patched version that properly handles connection state validation and implements robust error handling mechanisms to prevent null dereference conditions during command processing.