CVE-2006-3673 in Armagetron Advanced
Summary
by MITRE
nNetObject.cpp in Armagetron Advanced 2.8.2 and earlier allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) via a large owner value, which causes an assert error.
Be aware that VulDB is the high quality source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/17/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2006-3673 affects Armagetron Advanced version 2.8.2 and earlier, representing a denial of service condition that can be exploited remotely by attackers. This flaw resides within the nNetObject.cpp source file, which is part of the network object handling mechanisms in the game engine. The vulnerability specifically manifests when the application receives a network packet containing an oversized owner value that exceeds expected parameter limits, triggering an assertion failure that results in application termination.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation within the network object processing code. When the application processes network data, it fails to properly validate the size or range of the owner field in network packets, allowing malicious actors to craft specially formatted packets with excessively large owner values. This particular flaw represents a classic buffer overflow condition or more specifically an assertion failure due to improper bounds checking, which is categorized under CWE-129 in the Common Weakness Enumeration taxonomy. The assertion error occurs because the application's internal validation logic expects owner values to fall within a specific range, and when this expectation is violated, the assertion fails and causes the application to crash.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a significant risk to networked gaming environments where Armagetron Advanced is deployed. Remote attackers can exploit this weakness by sending malicious network packets to any running instance of the game, causing it to crash and become unavailable to legitimate users. This denial of service condition can be particularly damaging in multiplayer gaming scenarios or when the application is used in competitive gaming environments where uptime is critical. The vulnerability can be exploited with minimal technical expertise, as it only requires sending a specially crafted network packet rather than complex exploitation techniques, making it accessible to a broad range of threat actors.
The impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption, potentially affecting game integrity and user experience in online gaming environments. In competitive gaming contexts, such a crash could result in lost matches, disrupted gameplay, or forced disconnections for players. The vulnerability also demonstrates poor defensive programming practices in the application's network handling code, where proper error handling and input sanitization mechanisms are missing or insufficient. Organizations and game developers should implement robust input validation measures to prevent such conditions, including implementing proper bounds checking, using safe string handling functions, and incorporating defensive programming techniques that prevent assertion failures from causing application termination. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.004 for network denial of service attacks and highlights the importance of proper network protocol handling in client-server applications.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability involve immediate patching of affected Armagetron Advanced installations to version 2.8.3 or later, which contains the necessary fixes for the input validation issue. Additionally, network administrators should implement proper network segmentation and monitoring to detect unusual network traffic patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. The fix typically involves adding proper bounds checking for owner values in the network object processing code, ensuring that all incoming network data is validated against expected parameter ranges before processing. System administrators should also consider implementing rate limiting and traffic filtering mechanisms to prevent abuse of network services. Long-term security improvements should include comprehensive code reviews focusing on input validation, implementation of automated testing for boundary conditions, and adoption of secure coding practices that prevent assertion failures from causing application crashes.