CVE-2008-2748 in Skulltag
Summary
by MITRE
Skulltag 0.97d2-RC2 and earlier allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (daemon hang) via a series of long, malformed connect packets, related to these packets being "parsed multiple times."
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/19/2025
CVE-2008-2748 represents a denial of service vulnerability affecting Skulltag versions 0.97d2-RC2 and earlier, where remote attackers can trigger daemon hangs through carefully crafted malformed connect packets. This vulnerability stems from improper packet handling within the network protocol implementation, specifically involving the repeated parsing of connection packets that exceed normal length parameters. The flaw exists in the daemon's network stack processing logic where malformed packets are not properly validated before being processed multiple times, leading to resource exhaustion and system unresponsiveness.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability demonstrates a classic case of insufficient input validation and improper resource management within network services. When Skulltag receives connection packets that exceed expected size limits, the daemon attempts to parse these packets multiple times in a loop or recursive manner, causing the system to consume excessive CPU cycles and memory resources. This behavior aligns with CWE-129, which addresses improper validation of array indices and buffer overflows, and CWE-400, which covers resource exhaustion vulnerabilities. The repeated parsing mechanism creates a condition where the daemon becomes trapped in processing loops, effectively rendering the service unavailable to legitimate users.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risk to network infrastructure relying on Skulltag for gaming or network services. Attackers can exploit this weakness by sending a series of long malformed packets that trigger the daemon's parsing loop, causing the entire service to hang and become unresponsive. The impact extends beyond simple service disruption as it can affect network availability for legitimate users, potentially leading to business continuity issues and service degradation. This vulnerability also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.004, which covers network denial of service attacks targeting services and infrastructure.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2008-2748 should focus on implementing proper packet validation and rate limiting mechanisms within the network stack. Organizations should upgrade to Skulltag versions that address this vulnerability, as the original affected versions lack proper input sanitization and resource management controls. Network administrators should implement firewall rules to limit packet size and frequency of connection attempts, while also monitoring for unusual patterns of malformed packet traffic. Additionally, implementing proper timeout mechanisms and resource allocation limits can prevent the daemon from being overwhelmed by malformed packets. The vulnerability highlights the importance of defensive programming practices and proper error handling in network services, particularly when dealing with external input validation and processing loops.