CVE-2007-2651 in VooDoo cIRCle
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple off-by-one errors in VooDoo cIRCle before 1.1.beta27 allow remote attackers to cause a denial of service (connection loss) or possibly execute arbitrary code via a (1) DNS name response of the exact length as a buffer; or a long (2) channel name, (3) partyline channel name, or unspecified vectors in crafted BOTNET packets.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/14/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2007-2651 represents a critical security flaw in VooDoo cIRCle software versions prior to 1.1.beta27, demonstrating multiple off-by-one errors that create exploitable conditions for remote attackers. These programming errors occur when handling network packets containing specifically crafted data, particularly affecting the software's handling of DNS responses, channel names, and BOTNET communications. The vulnerability stems from improper boundary checking in buffer management operations, where the software fails to properly validate input lengths against allocated memory boundaries, creating opportunities for memory corruption.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through carefully crafted network packets that manipulate buffer boundaries in specific ways. When a DNS name response arrives with a length exactly matching the buffer capacity, or when channel names exceed expected limits by precisely one character, the off-by-one errors manifest as memory access violations. These conditions can trigger stack corruption or heap corruption depending on the specific vector exploited, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution or complete service disruption. The vulnerability affects multiple attack vectors including DNS responses, channel name handling, and BOTNET packet processing, making it particularly dangerous as attackers can leverage any of these pathways to compromise the system.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service conditions to potentially enable complete system compromise. Remote attackers can cause persistent connection losses that disrupt legitimate user access to the IRC network, while the arbitrary code execution capability could allow attackers to gain full control over affected systems. The vulnerability affects the core functionality of the cIRCle software which serves as an IRC server implementation, meaning that successful exploitation could result in unauthorized access to IRC channels, user data compromise, or use of compromised systems as relay points for further attacks. The nature of IRC networks means that such compromises could rapidly propagate through connected networks.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2007-2651 focus on immediate software updates to versions 1.1.beta27 or later where the off-by-one errors have been corrected through proper input validation and boundary checking. System administrators should implement network monitoring to detect suspicious packet patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts, particularly looking for unusually long channel names or DNS responses. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-129, which addresses improper validation of array indices, and CWE-121, which covers stack-based buffer overflow conditions. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1499.004 for network denial of service and potentially T1059 for command execution if arbitrary code can be successfully implanted. Organizations should also consider implementing network segmentation to limit the impact of potential exploitation and establish incident response procedures specifically addressing buffer overflow vulnerabilities in legacy IRC software implementations.