CVE-2006-3293 in Energymech Irc Bot
Summary
by MITRE
parse_notice (TiCPU) in EnergyMech (emech) before 3.0.2 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) via empty IRC CTCP NOTICE messages.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/22/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2006-3293 affects the EnergyMech (emech) IRC client software version 3.0.1 and earlier, specifically within the parse_notice function of the TiCPU module. This issue represents a classic buffer manipulation flaw that occurs when processing IRC CTCP NOTICE messages, where the software fails to properly validate input data before attempting to parse it. The vulnerability is particularly concerning as it enables remote attackers to execute a denial of service attack by sending specially crafted empty CTCP NOTICE messages to the target system.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation within the IRC protocol handling mechanism of EnergyMech. When the parse_notice function encounters an empty CTCP NOTICE message, it does not properly check for null or empty string conditions before attempting to process the message content. This leads to a potential buffer underflow or memory corruption scenario that ultimately results in application crash. The flaw operates at the protocol parsing layer where the software assumes all incoming CTCP NOTICE messages will contain valid data, creating a condition where empty messages can cause the application to terminate unexpectedly.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability enables remote attackers to disrupt service availability for users of the EnergyMech IRC client without requiring any authentication or privileged access. The attack vector is straightforward as it only requires sending empty CTCP NOTICE messages to the target system, making it particularly dangerous in environments where IRC clients are actively used for communication. The denial of service effect can be persistent and may require system administrators to restart the affected services manually, potentially disrupting ongoing communications and collaboration efforts within IRC networks.
Security professionals should note that this vulnerability aligns with CWE-129, which describes improper validation of array index or buffer boundaries, and represents a specific instance of CWE-125, where out-of-bounds read conditions can occur due to insufficient input validation. The attack pattern follows typical remote exploitation techniques documented in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the T1499 category for network denial of service attacks. Organizations using EnergyMech or similar IRC client software should implement immediate patch management procedures to upgrade to version 3.0.2 or later, which includes proper input validation for CTCP NOTICE message handling. Additionally, network-level filtering rules can be implemented to block suspicious CTCP NOTICE traffic, though the most effective mitigation remains the application of the official software patch that addresses the root cause of the parsing logic error.