CVE-2007-1648 in 0irc
Summary
by MITRE
0irc 1345 build 20060823 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) by operating an IRC server that sends a long string to a client, which triggers a NULL pointer dereference.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/30/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2007-1648 affects 0irc version 1345 build 20060823, representing a critical denial of service flaw that can be exploited remotely through IRC server interactions. This vulnerability demonstrates a classic buffer management issue where the application fails to properly validate input lengths, leading to a catastrophic application crash when processing malformed data. The flaw specifically manifests when a remote IRC server sends an excessively long string to a client application, causing the software to attempt to dereference a null pointer during processing. This type of vulnerability falls under the category of improper input validation and memory management errors that have been consistently documented in cybersecurity literature as common attack vectors.
The technical execution of this vulnerability involves a specific sequence where the 0irc client application receives a malformed string from a malicious IRC server, processes it without adequate bounds checking, and subsequently attempts to access memory locations through a null pointer reference. This NULL pointer dereference represents a fundamental programming error that occurs when software tries to access memory through a pointer that has not been properly initialized or has been set to null. The application's failure to handle oversized input data properly results in an immediate crash, rendering the client application unusable and effectively denying service to legitimate users. This behavior aligns with CWE-476 which specifically addresses NULL pointer dereference vulnerabilities, and demonstrates how such flaws can be leveraged to create denial of service conditions.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates significant risk for users who rely on 0irc as their primary IRC client for communication and collaboration. The remote exploitation capability means that attackers can target users without requiring local access or physical presence, making the attack surface extremely broad. When exploited, the vulnerability results in immediate application termination, forcing users to manually restart the client software and potentially losing ongoing chat sessions or connection state information. This disruption can be particularly problematic in environments where IRC communication is critical for operational continuity, such as development teams, support organizations, or collaborative workspaces. The vulnerability also represents a potential vector for more sophisticated attacks if attackers can chain this flaw with other exploits to establish persistent access or escalate privileges.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2007-1648 should focus on immediate application patching and input validation improvements. Organizations should prioritize updating to patched versions of 0irc that address the NULL pointer dereference issue, as the vulnerability has been known since 2007 and multiple versions have been released since then with appropriate fixes. In environments where patching cannot be immediately implemented, network-level controls such as firewall rules or proxy configurations can be deployed to filter out potentially malicious IRC traffic or limit the types of data that can reach vulnerable clients. Additionally, implementing proper input length validation and bounds checking within the application code would prevent the exploitation of this vulnerability by ensuring that all incoming strings are properly validated before processing. The remediation approach should also include monitoring for unusual IRC traffic patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts, as outlined in the ATT&CK framework's methodology for detecting and preventing denial of service attacks through network traffic analysis.