CVE-2005-3694 in centericq
Summary
by MITRE
centericq 4.20.0-r3 with "Enable peer-to-peer communications" set allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (segmentation fault and crash) via short zero-length packets, and possibly packets of length 1 or 2, as demonstrated using Nessus.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/16/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2005-3694 affects centericq version 4.20.0-r3 when the peer-to-peer communications feature is enabled. This represents a classic buffer over-read condition that occurs when the application fails to properly validate incoming network packets before processing them. The flaw manifests specifically when the software receives malformed packets that are either zero-length or contain only one or two bytes of data. Such packets trigger a segmentation fault in the application's packet processing routine, leading to an immediate crash and subsequent denial of service for legitimate users who rely on the service.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions where programs access memory locations outside the bounds of allocated buffers. The flaw exists in the protocol handling layer of centericq where incoming packets are parsed without adequate validation of packet length or content. When the application attempts to process these short packets, it reads beyond the allocated buffer boundaries, causing the operating system to terminate the process with a segmentation fault. This type of vulnerability is particularly dangerous in network services as it can be easily exploited by remote attackers without requiring authentication or special privileges.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption, as it creates a vector for denial of service attacks that can be executed from anywhere on the network. The attack can be carried out using standard network scanning tools like Nessus, which demonstrates the ease with which this vulnerability can be exploited in real-world scenarios. Network administrators and security teams face the challenge of defending against such attacks without implementing proper input validation, as the vulnerability exists in the core packet processing logic of the application. The exploitability of this vulnerability is further enhanced by the fact that it requires no authentication and can be triggered by sending malformed packets to the target service.
From a threat modeling perspective, this vulnerability maps to several ATT&CK techniques including T1498, which covers network denial of service attacks, and T1059, which involves command and control communication. The vulnerability creates an opportunity for attackers to systematically disrupt network services by repeatedly sending these malformed packets. Organizations should implement network segmentation and intrusion detection systems to monitor for unusual packet patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. The recommended mitigations include disabling the peer-to-peer communications feature when it is not actively needed, implementing proper input validation at the network protocol level, and applying the latest security patches from the software vendor. Additionally, network administrators should consider implementing rate limiting and packet filtering rules that can detect and block unusually short packets that are characteristic of this particular attack vector.