CVE-2006-7245 in Audio
Summary
by MITRE
Monkey s Audio before 4.01b2 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) via an APX file that lacks NULL termination.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/09/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2006-7245 affects Monkey s Audio software versions prior to 4.01b2, representing a classic buffer over-read condition that can be exploited to trigger a denial of service scenario. This issue stems from inadequate input validation within the APX file parser component of the audio processing library. When the software encounters an APX file that lacks proper NULL termination, the parsing routine fails to correctly handle the malformed input, leading to memory access violations that ultimately cause the application to crash and become unavailable to legitimate users.
The technical flaw manifests in the software s inability to properly validate file format boundaries during APX file processing. APX files are used for storing audio data in Monkey s Audio format, and the parser expects certain structural markers including NULL terminators to properly delineate data segments. Without these expected termination characters, the parsing algorithm continues reading beyond allocated memory boundaries, resulting in unpredictable behavior and system instability. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions, and represents a typical example of how insufficient input sanitization can lead to application instability. The flaw operates at the application layer and requires minimal privileges to exploit, making it particularly concerning for systems that automatically process or handle user-uploaded audio files.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption, as it can be leveraged by malicious actors to create persistent availability issues for audio processing applications. Systems that rely on Monkey s Audio for automated audio transcoding, media library management, or content delivery services could experience significant downtime when encountering specially crafted APX files. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous in environments where the software processes untrusted input, such as web applications, file sharing platforms, or media servers that automatically convert user-uploaded audio content. Attackers can craft malicious APX files that will cause the application to crash whenever processed, potentially leading to cascading failures in dependent systems and service degradation across entire networks.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2006-7245 primarily focus on immediate software updates and input validation improvements. The most effective solution involves upgrading to Monkey s Audio version 4.01b2 or later, which includes proper NULL termination checks and robust input validation routines. Organizations should implement comprehensive file validation protocols that verify proper APX file structure before processing, including checking for required termination characters and ensuring data integrity. Network-level protections can include content filtering systems that scan for known malicious file patterns and prevent execution of suspicious audio files. Additionally, implementing application sandboxing and memory protection mechanisms can help contain the impact of any potential exploitation attempts, while regular security assessments should verify that input handling routines properly validate all external data sources. This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper input validation and buffer management in preventing denial of service attacks, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1499 which covers network denial of service attacks through malformed data processing.