CVE-2007-3350 in Instant Messenger
Summary
by MITRE
AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) 6.1.32.1 on Windows XP allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (application hang) via a flood of spoofed SIP INVITE requests.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/27/2017
AOL Instant Messenger version 6.1.32.1 running on Windows XP systems presents a significant denial of service vulnerability that stems from its insufficient handling of Session Initiation Protocol INVITE requests. This vulnerability specifically affects the client-side implementation of AIM's communication protocol stack, where the application fails to properly validate or rate-limit incoming SIP messages. The flaw manifests when an attacker floods the target system with spoofed SIP INVITE requests that appear to originate from legitimate sources, overwhelming the AIM client's processing capabilities and causing the application to become unresponsive or hang completely. This vulnerability operates at the application layer and represents a classic example of a resource exhaustion attack pattern that can be classified under CWE-400, which addresses unspecified resource exhaustion conditions in software systems.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability exploits the lack of proper message filtering and rate-limiting mechanisms within AIM's SIP processing engine. When the client receives multiple spoofed INVITE requests in rapid succession, the application's state machine becomes overwhelmed attempting to process each request sequentially without adequate queuing or throttling controls. This behavior creates a condition where the application's main thread becomes blocked, preventing it from processing legitimate user interactions or other network communications. The Windows XP operating system environment further compounds the issue as the older platform lacks modern memory protection mechanisms that could prevent such resource exhaustion scenarios from causing complete application hangs.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a substantial risk to end-user productivity and system availability within organizations that rely on AIM for business communications. The denial of service condition affects only the specific AIM client instance rather than the underlying network infrastructure, making it particularly challenging to detect and mitigate from a network monitoring standpoint. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability through various means including automated scanning tools or botnets to target specific users or groups within an organization, potentially disrupting critical communication channels. The impact extends beyond simple inconvenience as users may lose access to real-time communication capabilities during peak business hours, affecting customer service operations and internal coordination activities.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including disabling AIM's SIP functionality or implementing network-level filtering to block suspicious INVITE traffic patterns. The recommended approach involves configuring firewalls or network access control lists to restrict incoming SIP traffic from untrusted sources while ensuring legitimate communication channels remain functional. System administrators should also consider deploying intrusion detection systems that can identify abnormal traffic patterns associated with SIP flooding attacks. According to ATT&CK framework category T1498, this vulnerability aligns with resource exhaustion techniques that attackers use to disrupt services, while the implementation pattern corresponds to T1071 which covers application layer protocols. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper input validation and rate-limiting controls in client applications, particularly those handling real-time communication protocols, as outlined in the OWASP Top Ten security principles and the NIST Cybersecurity Framework guidelines for protecting against denial of service attacks.