CVE-2011-1000 in Telepathy Gabble
Summary
by MITRE
jingle-factory.c in Telepathy Gabble 0.11 before 0.11.7, 0.10 before 0.10.5, and 0.8 before 0.8.15 allows remote attackers to sniff audio and video calls via a crafted google:jingleinfo stanza that specifies an alternate server for streamed media.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/02/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-1000 affects Telepathy Gabble, a component of the Telepathy framework used for instant messaging and presence services in Linux environments. This issue resides in the jingle-factory.c module which handles jingle protocol stanzas for establishing multimedia sessions. The flaw represents a significant security weakness that could compromise the confidentiality and integrity of voice and video communications within the Telepathy ecosystem.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate validation of jingle protocol stanzas, specifically those with the google:jingleinfo namespace. When a malicious actor crafts a specially formatted stanza that specifies an alternate server for streamed media, the vulnerable Telepathy Gabble implementation fails to properly verify the authenticity or legitimacy of the requested server endpoint. This allows attackers to intercept and redirect media streams to arbitrary servers they control, effectively enabling passive monitoring of audio and video calls without detection by legitimate participants. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it operates at the protocol level where media streams are established and managed.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple eavesdropping capabilities to encompass complete compromise of multimedia communication privacy. Attackers can leverage this flaw to perform man-in-the-middle attacks against voice and video calls, potentially gaining access to sensitive information transmitted during these communications. The vulnerability affects multiple versions of Telepathy Gabble, indicating a widespread exposure across different release lines. This exposure creates a significant risk for organizations relying on Telepathy-based communication systems for secure voice and video conferencing, as the attack can be executed remotely without requiring local system access or elevated privileges.
This vulnerability maps to CWE-20, "Improper Input Validation," and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566, "Phishing," as it enables attackers to establish unauthorized communication channels. The flaw also relates to CWE-310, "Cryptographic Issues," since it undermines the confidentiality assurances of multimedia communications. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including updating to patched versions of Telepathy Gabble, implementing network-level controls to restrict access to jingle protocol endpoints, and monitoring for suspicious stanza patterns. Additionally, administrators should consider implementing network segmentation and employing secure communication protocols with proper authentication mechanisms to prevent unauthorized media stream redirection. The vulnerability highlights the critical importance of input validation in real-time communication systems and demonstrates how seemingly minor protocol implementation flaws can result in significant privacy and security breaches.