CVE-2005-4585 in Ethereal
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in the GTP dissector for Ethereal 0.9.1 to 0.10.13 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (infinite loop) via unknown attack vectors.
If you want to get the best quality for vulnerability data then you always have to consider VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/17/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2005-4585 represents a critical denial of service flaw within the GTP dissector component of Ethereal network protocol analyzer versions 0.9.1 through 0.10.13. This issue specifically affects the application's ability to process GTP (GPRS Tunneling Protocol) packets, which are commonly used in mobile telecommunications networks for tunneling user data between network elements. The unspecified nature of the attack vectors indicates that the vulnerability can be triggered through various malformed or specially crafted GTP packet structures that cause the dissector to enter an infinite loop during packet analysis. Such a condition fundamentally undermines the availability of the network monitoring tool, as the application becomes unresponsive and unable to process additional packets until manually terminated.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and error handling within the GTP dissector module. When Ethereal encounters a malformed GTP packet that triggers the infinite loop condition, the application's packet parsing routine fails to properly terminate execution, resulting in continuous processing of the same packet or set of packets. This behavior directly maps to CWE-835, which describes the weakness of an infinite loop or infinite recursion in software implementations. The flaw demonstrates poor defensive programming practices where the dissector lacks proper boundary checks and termination conditions for handling unexpected packet structures. The vulnerability essentially creates a resource exhaustion scenario where the application consumes excessive CPU cycles without making meaningful progress, effectively rendering the network monitoring capability useless for legitimate traffic analysis.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption, as it can severely compromise network monitoring and troubleshooting capabilities in environments where Ethereal is deployed for telecommunications traffic analysis. Network administrators relying on this tool for monitoring mobile network traffic would face complete loss of visibility when attackers exploit this vulnerability, potentially masking malicious activities or preventing proper incident response. The remote nature of the attack means that adversaries can trigger the denial of service condition without requiring local access or authentication, making it particularly dangerous in network environments where such monitoring tools are exposed to untrusted traffic. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.004, which covers network denial of service attacks, and represents a significant threat to operational security in telecommunications infrastructure monitoring.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2005-4585 primarily involve immediate upgrading to patched versions of Ethereal, which was later renamed Wireshark, as the vulnerability was addressed in subsequent releases. System administrators should implement network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure of monitoring tools to untrusted traffic sources, while also deploying intrusion detection systems that can identify and block malformed GTP packets. Additionally, implementing monitoring and alerting mechanisms for unusual CPU utilization patterns on network analysis systems can help detect exploitation attempts before complete service disruption occurs. Organizations should also consider implementing redundant monitoring solutions and maintaining offline packet analysis capabilities to ensure continued visibility during potential attacks. The vulnerability highlights the importance of robust input validation and defensive programming practices in network protocol analysis tools, emphasizing that even seemingly benign network monitoring applications can become critical attack vectors when proper security controls are not implemented.