CVE-2006-0081 in 82915G
Summary
by MITRE
ialmnt5.sys in the ialmrnt5 display driver in Intel Graphics Accelerator Driver 6.14.10.4308 allows attackers to cause a denial of service (crash or screen resolution change) via a long text field, as demonstrated using a long window title.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/20/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2006-0081 resides within the ialmnt5.sys kernel driver component of Intel Graphics Accelerator Driver version 6.14.10.4308, specifically affecting the ialmrnt5 display driver module. This flaw represents a classic buffer overflow condition that occurs when processing user-supplied input data through the graphics rendering pipeline. The vulnerability manifests when a malicious actor submits an excessively long text field to the graphics subsystem, particularly through window title manipulation. The underlying issue stems from insufficient input validation and bounds checking within the kernel-mode driver code that handles text rendering operations for graphical user interfaces.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability follows a well-established pattern that aligns with CWE-121, which describes buffer overflow conditions in stack-based buffers. When a window title exceeds the allocated buffer space within the ialmnt5.sys driver, the excess data overflows into adjacent memory regions, causing unpredictable behavior including system crashes, display resolution changes, or complete system hangs. The attack vector is particularly insidious because it requires no elevated privileges and can be executed through standard user-level applications that interact with the graphical subsystem. The vulnerability demonstrates characteristics consistent with the ATT&CK technique T1499.004, which involves network denial of service attacks through resource exhaustion or system instability.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates significant risks for system stability and availability within Intel graphics environments. The denial of service condition can result in complete graphical interface failures, forcing users to restart their systems and potentially disrupting critical business operations. The vulnerability affects systems running the specific Intel Graphics Accelerator Driver version mentioned, making it particularly concerning for enterprise environments where consistent display functionality is essential for productivity. The impact extends beyond simple system crashes to include potential data loss scenarios when applications must be forcibly closed due to display subsystem failures. Organizations utilizing Intel graphics hardware in mission-critical applications face heightened risk of operational disruption due to this vulnerability's ability to cause immediate system instability through seemingly benign user interactions.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on immediate driver updates from Intel to address the buffer overflow condition in the ialmnt5.sys module. System administrators should implement comprehensive patch management protocols to ensure all affected graphics drivers are updated promptly. Additionally, monitoring systems should be configured to detect unusual patterns of display resolution changes or system crashes that may indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability highlights the importance of kernel-mode driver security practices and demonstrates why organizations should maintain strict control over graphics driver versions, particularly in environments where system stability is paramount. Network segmentation and application whitelisting can provide additional defense-in-depth measures to limit potential exploitation vectors, while regular security assessments should evaluate the overall graphics driver security posture to prevent similar vulnerabilities from emerging in other kernel components.