CVE-2010-4168 in OpenTTD
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple use-after-free vulnerabilities in OpenTTD 1.0.x before 1.0.5 allow (1) remote attackers to cause a denial of service (invalid write and daemon crash) by abruptly disconnecting during transmission of the map from the server, related to network/network_server.cpp; (2) remote attackers to cause a denial of service (invalid read and daemon crash) by abruptly disconnecting, related to network/network_server.cpp; and (3) remote servers to cause a denial of service (invalid read and application crash) by forcing a disconnection during the join process, related to network/network.cpp.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/05/2021
The CVE-2010-4168 vulnerability affects OpenTTD version 1.0.x before 1.0.5 and represents a critical class of memory safety issues known as use-after-free vulnerabilities. These flaws occur when the software attempts to access memory locations that have already been freed or deallocated, creating opportunities for malicious actors to exploit the application's memory management routines. The vulnerability spans across multiple components within the network communication subsystem, specifically targeting the network_server.cpp and network.cpp files that handle client-server interactions and connection management.
The technical implementation of these use-after-free issues stems from improper handling of network connection states during critical phases of the game's network protocol. When clients abruptly disconnect during map transmission from the server, the network_server.cpp component fails to properly manage memory references, leading to invalid write operations that can crash the daemon process. Similarly, during connection termination scenarios, the software executes invalid read operations that also result in daemon crashes. The third variant occurs when servers force client disconnections during the join process, causing application crashes in the network.cpp module. These memory corruption conditions arise from the failure to properly validate connection states and clean up allocated resources before allowing the connection state to transition to a disconnected status.
The operational impact of these vulnerabilities extends beyond simple denial of service conditions, as they can be exploited remotely by attackers without requiring authentication or special privileges. The invalid write and read operations can potentially be leveraged to execute arbitrary code on affected systems, though the primary demonstrated impact remains service disruption. Network administrators and game server operators face significant risks as these vulnerabilities can be exploited to crash game servers, disrupting gameplay for multiple users simultaneously. The remote exploitation capability means that attackers can target servers from anywhere on the network, making these vulnerabilities particularly dangerous in public or shared hosting environments where multiple players connect to the same server instance.
These vulnerabilities map directly to CWE-416, which describes the use of freed memory condition, and align with ATT&CK technique T1499.004 for network denial of service attacks. The exploitation patterns align with common attack vectors in the cybersecurity landscape where network protocol implementations fail to properly handle edge cases in connection lifecycle management. Organizations should prioritize patching affected OpenTTD installations to version 1.0.5 or later, which contains the necessary memory management fixes. Additionally, implementing network monitoring to detect unusual disconnection patterns and configuring proper resource cleanup routines can help mitigate the risk of exploitation. System administrators should also consider implementing network segmentation and access controls to limit the potential impact of successful exploitation attempts, while maintaining regular security updates to protect against similar vulnerabilities in other networked applications.