CVE-2005-4216 in Flash Media Server
Summary
by MITRE
The Administration Service (FMSAdmin.exe) in Macromedia Flash Media Server 2.0 r1145 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) via a malformed request with a single character to port 1111.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/12/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2005-4216 represents a critical denial of service flaw within the Macromedia Flash Media Server 2.0 r1145 administration service component. This issue affects the FMSAdmin.exe process responsible for handling administrative functions and remote management operations. The vulnerability manifests when the service receives malformed requests specifically targeting port 1111, which serves as the default administrative port for the Flash Media Server. The attack vector is particularly concerning as it requires only a single character to trigger the application crash, making it both easily exploitable and highly effective for disrupting service availability. This weakness directly impacts the server's ability to maintain operational continuity and can be leveraged by malicious actors to systematically disrupt media streaming services that depend on the Flash Media Server infrastructure.
The technical flaw stems from inadequate input validation within the FMSAdmin.exe process, specifically in how it handles malformed requests received on the administrative port. When a single character is sent to port 1111, the administration service fails to properly parse or validate the incoming data, leading to an unhandled exception that causes the application to crash and restart. This represents a classic buffer overflow or input sanitization vulnerability where the system does not adequately protect against malformed data inputs. The vulnerability can be categorized under CWE-129 Input Validation and CWE-20 Improper Input Validation, as the system fails to properly validate the integrity of incoming requests before processing them. The flaw demonstrates poor error handling mechanisms and insufficient defensive programming practices that allow malformed data to cascade into system-wide failures rather than being gracefully rejected or sanitized.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption to encompass broader implications for media streaming infrastructure and business continuity. Organizations relying on Flash Media Server for content delivery, live streaming, or media management could experience significant downtime and service degradation when exploited. The single-character nature of the attack means that even casual probing or automated scanning tools could trigger the denial of service condition, making it particularly dangerous in environments where security monitoring is insufficient. This vulnerability directly violates the principle of least privilege and system resilience, as legitimate administrative operations become vulnerable to simple yet effective disruption attacks. The impact is further compounded by the fact that the administration service is typically exposed to network traffic, making it accessible to remote attackers without requiring elevated privileges or complex exploitation techniques.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2005-4216 should prioritize immediate network segmentation and access control measures to restrict exposure of port 1111 to trusted administrative networks only. Organizations should implement firewall rules that limit access to the administrative port to specific IP addresses or ranges, effectively reducing the attack surface. Additionally, regular patching and version updates should be prioritized, as Macromedia (now Adobe) would have addressed this vulnerability in subsequent releases of the Flash Media Server software. Network monitoring and intrusion detection systems should be configured to detect unusual patterns of traffic targeting port 1111, enabling early warning of potential exploitation attempts. The implementation of application-level firewalls or web application firewalls could provide additional protection by filtering malformed requests before they reach the vulnerable administration service. Organizations should also conduct regular security assessments and penetration testing to identify similar vulnerabilities in their media streaming infrastructure, aligning with the ATT&CK framework's defensive strategies for preventing service disruption attacks and maintaining operational resilience in multimedia delivery systems.