CVE-2007-1665 in ekg
Summary
by MITRE
Memory leak in the token OCR functionality in ekg before 1:1.7~rc2-1etch1 on Debian GNU/Linux Etch allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/21/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2007-1665 represents a memory leak flaw within the token optical character recognition functionality of the ekg messaging client software. This issue affects versions of ekg prior to 1:1.7~rc2-1etch1 on Debian GNU/Linux Etch systems, creating a significant security concern that can be exploited remotely. The vulnerability specifically targets the memory management implementation within the token OCR processing component, where insufficient handling of memory allocation and deallocation leads to progressive memory consumption over time. The flaw exists in the software's ability to properly manage memory resources when processing token data through optical character recognition algorithms, which are commonly used in authentication and identification systems.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-401, which catalogs memory leak issues in software systems, where the application fails to release memory that has been allocated during program execution. When remote attackers exploit this weakness, they can repeatedly send crafted token data to the vulnerable ekg service, causing the application to continuously allocate memory without proper deallocation. This progressive memory consumption eventually leads to system resource exhaustion, where the application becomes unresponsive or crashes entirely. The memory leak occurs specifically within the OCR token processing pipeline, where temporary memory buffers are allocated to store intermediate character recognition data but are never properly freed from memory.
The operational impact of CVE-2007-1665 extends beyond simple service disruption to potentially compromise the overall system stability and availability of communication services that rely on the ekg client. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to perform sustained denial of service attacks against systems running vulnerable versions of ekg, making it particularly dangerous in environments where continuous communication availability is critical. The remote exploitation aspect means that attackers do not require local system access or physical presence to execute the attack, making it a significant threat vector for network-based adversaries. This vulnerability particularly affects systems that depend on token-based authentication mechanisms, where the ekg client serves as a bridge for communication protocols requiring token verification.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should prioritize immediate patching of affected systems with the corrected version 1:1.7~rc2-1etch1 or later releases that contain proper memory management fixes. System administrators should implement monitoring solutions to detect unusual memory consumption patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. The fix typically involves implementing proper memory deallocation routines within the OCR token processing code, ensuring that all allocated memory buffers are correctly freed after processing. Organizations should also consider implementing network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure of vulnerable systems, while maintaining regular vulnerability assessments to identify similar memory management issues in other applications. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under privilege escalation and denial of service tactics, as it allows remote adversaries to consume system resources and potentially gain unauthorized access to communication services.