CVE-2008-7013 in Hi IM
Summary
by MITRE
NetService.dll in Baidu Hi IM allows remote servers to cause a denial of service (client crash) via a crafted login response that triggers a divide-by-zero error.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/17/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2008-7013 affects NetService.dll within Baidu Hi IM, a popular instant messaging client used primarily in china. This flaw represents a classic software implementation error that demonstrates poor input validation and error handling practices. The vulnerability specifically manifests when the client receives a maliciously crafted login response from a remote server, triggering an unexpected condition that leads to application termination.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in a divide-by-zero error condition that occurs within the NetService.dll component during the processing of authentication responses. When the client receives a specially crafted login response containing malformed data, the application attempts to perform a division operation with zero as the divisor, causing an arithmetic exception that crashes the entire client application. This type of error falls under the CWE-369 vulnerability category, which specifically addresses divide-by-zero conditions that can lead to denial of service scenarios. The flaw demonstrates inadequate error handling and input sanitization mechanisms that should have been implemented to prevent such mathematical exceptions from occurring in production code.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple client-side disruption, as it enables remote attackers to systematically target Baidu Hi IM users and cause widespread service degradation. An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by establishing a connection to a victim's Baidu Hi IM client and sending a crafted login response that triggers the divide-by-zero condition. This creates a denial of service condition that forces the client application to crash and terminate, effectively removing the user from the instant messaging service. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it operates at the application layer and requires no privileged access or authentication to exploit, making it accessible to any remote attacker who can establish communication with the targeted client.
From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability aligns with the ATT&CK framework's technique T1499, which covers network denial of service attacks. The flaw represents a specific implementation weakness that could be leveraged as part of broader attack campaigns targeting instant messaging platforms. The vulnerability also connects to the broader category of software quality issues that affect user experience and system availability, as demonstrated by the Common Weakness Enumeration classification. The lack of proper input validation in the authentication handling process creates an attack surface that could potentially be expanded to include other types of malicious responses or even code execution scenarios if additional vulnerabilities exist within the same codebase.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on immediate code-level fixes that implement proper input validation and exception handling. The recommended approach includes adding bounds checking and division-by-zero prevention mechanisms within the NetService.dll component, ensuring that all mathematical operations include appropriate validation before execution. Additionally, implementing proper error handling that gracefully manages unexpected input conditions rather than allowing the application to crash would provide adequate protection against this specific vulnerability. The fix should also incorporate defensive programming practices that prevent malformed data from reaching critical arithmetic operations, which aligns with industry best practices for secure coding and the principles outlined in the software security engineering framework.