Re: [ADVISORY] AOL Instant Messenger DoS

From: Tony Lambiris (methodicat_private)
Date: Wed Oct 03 2001 - 11:30:44 PDT

  • Next message: Dave Aitel: "Re: [ADVISORY] AOL Instant Messenger DoS"

    AIM for the Macintosh is not vulnerable as well.
    
    On 10.03.01, Matthew Sachs <matthewgat_private> wrote:
    > (Note: I wasn't going to release this until the 8th in order to give
    > AOL some time to release a fix/workaround, but since exploit scripts
    > have already been posted to bugtraq...)
    > 
    > Scope:
    > 	Anyone who can send instant messages to a user signed on to
    > 	the AOL Instant Messenger service can crash that user's AOL
    > 	Instant Messenger.  The default settings allow everyone to
    > 	send the user messages.  This bug does not appear to be
    > 	exploitable for running arbitrary code.
    > Confirmed Vulnerable:
    > 	AOL Instant Messenger/Win32 4.7.2480
    > 	AOL Instant Messenger/Win32 4.3.2229
    > Confirmed Not Vulnerable:
    > 	aimirc (all versions)
    > 	AIM Express
    > 	QuickBuddy
    > 	AOL Instant Messenger/Linux 1.5.234
    > Unknown:
    > 	All other AOL Instant Messenger clients
    > 
    > Reported to AOL on October 1st, 2001.  No reply received.
    > 
    > It is possible for any remote user to crash the AOL Instant Messenger for 
    > Windows, at least version 4.7.2480.  The target user's visibility
    > settings  must allow the exploiter to send him or her IMs.  When a
    > message with the  text "<!-- " (without the quotes) is repeated
    > approximately 640 or more  times, AIM crashes with the following
    > error.
    > 	AIM caused in invalid page fault in module ATK32.DLL at 
    > 015f:12023f63.
    > 	Registers:
    > 	EAX=00000000 CS=015f EIP=12023f63 EFLGS=00010246
    > 	EBX=0063ea94 SS=0167 ESP=0063e9dc EBP=0063ea24
    > 	ECX=0043dab0 DS=0167 ESI=0043051c FS=0e87
    > 	EDX=00000000 KS=0167 KDI=0063ea8c GS=0000
    > 	Bytes at CS:EIP:
    > 	83 78 28 00 74 08 c7 07 ff 7f 00 00 eb 06 8b 40
    > 	Stack dump:
    > 	00000000 0043051c 00000409 218f0004 8a120000
    > 	17df0b04 00010000 00000000 00000000 00000002
    > 	00000000 00000302 0000000c 00000001 0000000c
    > 	00000000
    > 
    > Note that it does not appear to be possible to send this message from
    > AOL's Windows AOL Instant Messenger client, both because it imposes
    > tighter length restrictions than the OSCAR protocol mandates and
    > because it will translate < into &lt;
    > 
    > If the "Show 'Accept Message' dialog for messages from users not in Buddy 
    > List" preference is turned on and the exploiter is not in the target's 
    > buddylist, that dialog will appear and then AIM will immediately crash. If 
    > that preference is not turned on or if the exploiter is in the target's 
    > buddylist, an IM dialog will be created (if one does not already exist), 
    > and then AIM will immediately crash.
    > 
    > This bug is already being exploited in the wild.  It initially came to my 
    > attention through a post to the vuln-devat_private mailing list as 
    > well as, simultaneously, in traffic observed in the AIM sessions of users 
    > of my network.
    > 
    > Suggested workaround:
    > 	If possible, modify your privacy settings so that only users
    > 	on your buddylist can contact you.  However, this still makes
    > 	it possible for people on your buddylist to use this
    > 	bug against you.  Until AOL releases a fix, the only other
    > 	option is to switch to a non-vulnerable client.
    > 	Alternatively, one can simply live with the occasional crash
    > 	and simply restart AOL Instant Messenger.  Of course,
    > 	malicious persons could set up scripts to automatically send
    > 	a crash-inducing message to the user as soon as he or she
    > 	signed on to the AOL Instant Messenger service.
    > 
    > -- 
    > Matthew Sachs, the original nonstandard deviant
    > matthewgat_private	http://www.zevils.com/
    > GPG key: 0x600A0342	PGP key: 0x93EA1151
    
    
    
    -- 
    Tony Lambiris [methodicat_private]
       http://www.openbsd.org && http://www.openssh.com
           "Anyone who truly understands the power 
             of UNIX wouldn't use anything else."
    



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