CVE-2019-25326 in ipPulse
Summary
by MITRE • 02/19/2026
ipPulse 1.92 contains a denial of service vulnerability that allows local attackers to crash the application by providing an oversized input in the Enter Key field. Attackers can generate a 256-byte buffer of repeated 'A' characters to trigger an application crash when pasting the malicious content.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/19/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-25326 resides within ipPulse version 1.92, a network monitoring and management tool that falls under the category of industrial control systems and network infrastructure applications. This particular flaw represents a classic buffer overflow condition that occurs when the application fails to properly validate input lengths in the Enter Key field functionality. The vulnerability is classified as a local privilege escalation issue since it requires an attacker to already have access to the system to exploit it, though the impact remains significant as it can render the entire monitoring application unavailable. The affected software operates within industrial environments where continuous network monitoring is critical, making this denial of service vulnerability particularly concerning for operational technology infrastructure. According to CWE classification, this vulnerability maps to CWE-121, which describes stack-based buffer overflow conditions that occur when a program writes data beyond the boundaries of a fixed-length buffer. The specific nature of the vulnerability demonstrates a lack of proper input validation and bounds checking mechanisms within the application's input processing pipeline.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through a carefully crafted 256-byte input consisting entirely of repeated 'A' characters that are pasted into the Enter Key field. This particular input length exceeds the buffer capacity allocated for this field, causing a stack overflow condition that ultimately leads to application termination. The buffer overflow manifests as a memory corruption event where the excessive input overwrites adjacent memory locations, including return addresses and program state information. When the application attempts to process this malformed input, the corrupted memory state results in an unhandled exception that terminates the process. The vulnerability is particularly interesting from a security perspective because it demonstrates a failure in the application's defensive programming practices, specifically the absence of input length validation and proper memory boundary checking. This type of vulnerability is often categorized under ATT&CK technique T1499.004, which covers network denial of service attacks, though in this case the attack vector is internal rather than external. The exploitation mechanism is straightforward and does not require sophisticated techniques, making it accessible to attackers with basic technical knowledge.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple application unavailability, particularly in industrial environments where ipPulse is commonly deployed for critical network monitoring tasks. When the application crashes due to this vulnerability, it can result in loss of network visibility and monitoring capabilities, potentially leading to undetected security incidents or operational disruptions. The vulnerability affects the reliability and availability of the monitoring infrastructure, which is critical for maintaining operational continuity in industrial control systems. Organizations using this software may experience service degradation or complete loss of monitoring capabilities, requiring manual intervention to restart the application and restore normal operations. The local nature of the attack means that the vulnerability can be exploited by any user with access to the system, including potentially malicious insiders or compromised accounts. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous in environments where multiple users have system access, as it can be exploited as part of a broader attack campaign or as a means of disrupting operations. The impact is further compounded by the fact that such monitoring applications often operate continuously, and any disruption can have cascading effects on overall system security posture and operational awareness.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2019-25326 should focus on both immediate remediation and long-term architectural improvements. The primary recommendation is to apply the vendor-provided patch or upgrade to a version that addresses this specific buffer overflow condition. Organizations should also implement input validation controls at multiple layers of the application architecture, including client-side and server-side validation to prevent oversized inputs from reaching the vulnerable code paths. Network segmentation and access controls should be implemented to limit local access to the application, reducing the attack surface for potential exploitation. System monitoring should be enhanced to detect application crashes or restarts that may indicate exploitation attempts. Security awareness training should be conducted to educate users about the potential risks of pasting unknown content into application fields. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing application whitelisting policies that restrict which applications can be executed locally, reducing the risk of exploitation. The vulnerability highlights the importance of following secure coding practices and implementing proper input validation, which aligns with industry standards such as the OWASP Secure Coding Practices and NIST Cybersecurity Framework guidelines for industrial control systems. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other applications within the operational technology environment.