CVE-2014-6396 in Ettercap
Summary
by MITRE
The dissector_postgresql function in dissectors/ec_postgresql.c in Ettercap before 0.8.1 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service and possibly execute arbitrary code via a crafted password length, which triggers a 0 character to be written to an arbitrary memory location.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/09/2022
The CVE-2014-6396 vulnerability resides within the Ettercap network protocol analyzer and man-in-the-middle attack tool, specifically in the PostgreSQL dissector component that handles network packet analysis. This flaw exists in versions prior to 0.8.1 and represents a critical memory corruption vulnerability that can be exploited remotely by attackers. The vulnerability manifests through the dissector_postgresql function located in the dissectors/ec_postgresql.c source file, which processes PostgreSQL protocol communications during network monitoring operations.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when a malicious attacker crafts a specially formatted password length parameter in a PostgreSQL authentication packet. When Ettercap processes this malformed data through the vulnerable dissector function, it triggers a buffer overflow condition that results in a null character being written to an arbitrary memory location. This type of memory corruption represents a classic stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability that falls under the CWE-121 category of stack-based buffer overflow conditions. The flaw demonstrates poor input validation and memory handling practices that allow attackers to manipulate program execution flow through carefully crafted malicious network traffic.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service to potentially enable remote code execution on systems running vulnerable versions of Ettercap. Attackers can leverage this weakness to compromise network monitoring systems that rely on Ettercap for protocol analysis, particularly in environments where the tool is used for security auditing or network traffic inspection. The remote exploitation capability means that adversaries do not need physical access to target systems, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous in networked environments where Ettercap is deployed for security monitoring purposes. This vulnerability directly aligns with ATT&CK technique T1046 which involves network service scanning and can be categorized under T1059 for command and scripting interpreter execution.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2014-6396 require immediate patching of Ettercap installations to version 0.8.1 or later, which contains the necessary fixes for the memory handling issues in the PostgreSQL dissector. System administrators should also implement network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure of Ettercap instances to untrusted networks, particularly in environments where the tool processes sensitive network traffic. Additional defensive measures include monitoring for anomalous network traffic patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts, implementing intrusion detection systems to identify malformed PostgreSQL protocol communications, and conducting regular security assessments of network monitoring tools to identify similar vulnerabilities in other protocol dissectors. Organizations should also consider implementing network traffic filtering rules that can detect and block malformed PostgreSQL authentication packets that might trigger this vulnerability.