ION-DTN before 4.2.1-a.1 contains a denial of service vulnerability that allows unauthenticated remote attackers to crash the ION process by sending a BPv7 bundle with a zero-length payload. The canonicalizePayloadBlock() function in bpsec_util.c passes bundle->payload.length to zco_clone() without validating it against zero, causing a failed CHKZERO assertion that triggers sm_Abort() and terminates the process with SIGABRT before any HMAC verification occurs, requiring no valid key or credential to exploit.
Attack Parameters
Attack Vector
Network
Can be exploited remotely
Attack Complexity
Low
Easy to exploit
Attack Requirements
None
No additional conditions
Privileges Required
None
No privileges needed
User Interaction
None
No user interaction needed
Impact Assessment
Confidentiality
None
No data leak
Integrity
None
No data modification
Availability
High
Complete denial of service
CVSS Vector v4.0