#VU32806 Resource management error in Pidgin - CVE-2012-1178

Vulnerability identifier: #VU32806

Vulnerability risk: Medium

CVSSv4.0: 2.7 [CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U/U:Green]

CVE-ID: CVE-2012-1178

CWE-ID: CWE-399

Exploitation vector: Network

Exploit availability: No

Vulnerable software:
Pidgin
Client/Desktop applications / Messaging software

Vendor: pidgin.im

Description

The vulnerability allows a remote non-authenticated attacker to perform service disruption.

The msn_oim_report_to_user function in oim.c in the MSN protocol plugin in libpurple in Pidgin before 2.10.2 allows remote servers to cause a denial of service (application crash) via an OIM message that lacks UTF-8 encoding.

Mitigation
Install update from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

Pidgin: 2.10.0 - 2.10.1

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External links
https://developer.pidgin.im/ticket/14884
https://developer.pidgin.im/viewmtn/revision/diff/60f8379d0a610538cf42e0dd9ab1436c8b9308cd/with/3053d6a37cc6d8774aba7607b992a4408216adcd/libpurple/protocols/msn/oim.c
https://developer.pidgin.im/viewmtn/revision/info/3053d6a37cc6d8774aba7607b992a4408216adcd
https://pidgin.im/news/security/?id=61
https://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2012-1102.html
https://secunia.com/advisories/50005
https://www.mandriva.com/security/advisories?name=MDVSA-2012:029
https://www.securityfocus.com/bid/52475
https://oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A18019

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Q & A

Can this vulnerability be exploited remotely?

Yes. This vulnerability can be exploited by a remote non-authenticated attacker via the Internet.

Is there known malware, which exploits this vulnerability?

No. We are not aware of malware exploiting this vulnerability.