CVE-2008-1062 in WinDVD Media Center
Summary
by MITRE
InterVideo IMC Server (aka IMCSvr.exe) and InterVideo Home Theater (aka IHT.exe) in InterVideo WinDVD Media Center 2.11.15.0 allow remote attackers to cause a denial of service (NULL dereference and application crash) via a crafted packet with two CRLF sequences. NOTE: the provenance of this information is unknown; the details are obtained solely from third party information.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/05/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2008-1062 affects InterVideo WinDVD Media Center 2.11.15.0, specifically targeting the InterVideo IMC Server component and InterVideo Home Theater application. This issue represents a classic denial of service weakness that can be exploited remotely through carefully crafted network packets. The vulnerability manifests when the affected applications receive malformed data containing two consecutive carriage return line feed sequences, which triggers a NULL pointer dereference condition in the processing logic. Such flaws typically arise from insufficient input validation and error handling mechanisms within network service implementations.
The technical flaw stems from the applications' failure to properly validate incoming network data before processing it within their communication protocols. When the IMC Server and IHT applications encounter a crafted packet containing two consecutive CRLF sequences, the parsing logic attempts to dereference a NULL pointer, leading to an application crash and subsequent denial of service condition. This behavior aligns with CWE-476 which describes NULL pointer dereference vulnerabilities, and represents a fundamental weakness in input sanitization and memory management practices. The vulnerability operates at the network protocol level, making it particularly dangerous as it can be triggered without requiring authentication or local access to the system.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption, as it creates a potential vector for attackers to systematically disable media center services and render the affected systems unusable. Remote exploitation means that adversaries can target these applications from outside the network perimeter, making the vulnerability particularly concerning for home users and enterprise environments that may not properly isolate media center applications. The nature of the crash indicates that the applications do not implement proper exception handling or graceful degradation mechanisms, which is a common pattern in legacy software systems that were not designed with robust security considerations in mind.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on input validation and network segmentation approaches. System administrators should implement network filtering rules to block suspicious traffic patterns that could contain the malicious CRLF sequences, while also ensuring that affected applications are properly updated with patches if available. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this as a denial of service attack pattern, specifically involving application layer attacks that target service availability. Organizations should also consider implementing intrusion detection systems to monitor for unusual network traffic patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. Given the age of this vulnerability and the lack of official patch information, the most effective long-term solution involves migrating to more modern media center solutions that have proper security controls and regular update cycles to address such fundamental flaws in network protocol handling.