CVE-2008-3578 in HydraIRC
Summary
by MITRE
HydraIRC 0.3.164 and earlier allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (NULL pointer dereference and application crash) via a long irc:// URI.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/26/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2008-3578 affects HydraIRC version 0.3.164 and earlier, representing a critical denial of service flaw that can be exploited by remote attackers. This issue manifests through the improper handling of irc:// URIs, specifically when these URIs contain excessive length parameters that trigger application instability. The flaw exists within the URI parsing mechanism of the IRC client, where the software fails to properly validate input lengths before processing them, leading to a null pointer dereference condition that ultimately results in application crash.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the absence of proper input validation within the URI processing module of HydraIRC. When a maliciously crafted irc:// URI exceeds predetermined length thresholds, the application attempts to access memory locations that have not been properly initialized or allocated, resulting in a null pointer dereference. This condition is classified as a CWE-476 Null Pointer Dereference, which represents a common software weakness where a program attempts to access a memory location through a pointer that has not been properly validated. The vulnerability operates at the application layer, specifically affecting the client-side parsing functionality that handles internet relay chat protocol connections.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risk to users who may unknowingly encounter malicious URIs in web pages, email messages, or instant messaging platforms. The attack vector requires minimal technical skill from the adversary, as it only necessitates crafting a specially formatted URI that exceeds the application's expected parameter lengths. The impact of exploitation results in complete application termination, forcing users to manually restart the IRC client and potentially lose ongoing chat sessions or connection states. This disruption can be particularly problematic in professional environments where continuous communication is essential, and the vulnerability can be leveraged as part of larger attack campaigns targeting specific user populations.
The mitigation strategies for this vulnerability primarily involve upgrading to a patched version of HydraIRC that implements proper input validation and length checking for URI parameters. System administrators should prioritize immediate deployment of security updates to all affected systems, as the vulnerability provides no direct access to system resources or data but can severely impact availability and user experience. Additionally, organizations can implement network-level controls to filter or block suspicious URI content, though this approach provides only partial protection as the vulnerability can be triggered through various attack vectors including direct user interaction with malicious links. The remediation process should also include user education about the dangers of clicking untrusted links and the importance of maintaining updated software versions. This vulnerability demonstrates the importance of input validation in preventing denial of service conditions and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.004 for Denial of Service via Resource Exhaustion, though in this case the resource exhaustion manifests through memory access violations rather than traditional resource depletion.