CVE-2006-1935 in Ethereal
Summary
by MITRE
Buffer overflow in Ethereal 0.9.15 up to 0.10.14 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) and possibly execute arbitrary code via the COPS dissector.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/17/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2006-1935 represents a critical buffer overflow flaw affecting Ethereal network protocol analyzer versions 0.9.15 through 0.10.14. This issue resides within the COPS dissector component of the software, which is responsible for parsing and analyzing COPS protocol traffic. The buffer overflow occurs when the application processes malformed COPS protocol data packets, leading to unpredictable behavior and potential system compromise. The vulnerability demonstrates characteristics consistent with CWE-121, which describes heap-based buffer overflow conditions where insufficient bounds checking allows attackers to overwrite adjacent memory locations. The affected software operates at the network protocol analysis layer, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited through network traffic without requiring local system access.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability exploits the lack of proper input validation within the COPS dissector module. When Ethereal encounters specially crafted COPS protocol packets containing oversized or malformed data structures, the application fails to properly validate buffer boundaries during packet processing. This flaw allows attackers to overwrite critical memory segments including return addresses and function pointers, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution. The vulnerability specifically affects the dissector's handling of COPS protocol elements such as the COPS message header and attribute fields, where insufficient boundary checks permit memory corruption. Attackers can leverage this weakness by crafting malicious COPS protocol packets and transmitting them to a vulnerable Ethereal instance, triggering the buffer overflow condition. The exploit demonstrates characteristics aligned with ATT&CK technique T1059, specifically command and control communication through protocol analysis tools.
The operational impact of CVE-2006-1935 extends beyond simple denial of service scenarios to encompass potential system compromise and unauthorized code execution. Network administrators and security professionals operating vulnerable Ethereal installations face significant risk as attackers can remotely crash the application or potentially gain remote code execution privileges. The vulnerability affects any system running the affected Ethereal versions, regardless of platform or operating system, making it particularly concerning for enterprise network monitoring environments. Organizations relying on Ethereal for network traffic analysis, intrusion detection, or forensic investigations face immediate operational disruption when this vulnerability is exploited. The crash condition can lead to complete service unavailability, forcing network monitoring systems to restart and potentially losing critical network traffic data during the outage period.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate patching of affected Ethereal installations to versions 0.10.15 or later, which contain the necessary buffer overflow protections. System administrators should implement network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure of vulnerable systems to untrusted network traffic. Network monitoring tools should be configured to filter or drop suspicious COPS protocol traffic until systems are properly updated. Additional defensive measures include implementing intrusion detection systems that can identify and alert on malformed COPS protocol packets, as well as conducting regular vulnerability assessments to identify other potentially affected network analysis tools. Organizations should also consider implementing network protocol analysis tool redundancy and failover mechanisms to maintain network visibility during patch deployment. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the importance of input validation and memory safety practices in network security tools, particularly those handling untrusted network data. Security teams should establish regular update procedures and maintain current inventories of network analysis tools to quickly respond to similar vulnerabilities in the future.