CVE-2018-25230: Free IP Switcher Buffer Overflow DoS Flaw

CVE-2018-25230 Overview

CVE-2018-25230 is a buffer overflow vulnerability in Free IP Switcher 3.1 that allows local attackers to crash the application through a denial of service attack. The vulnerability is triggered when an excessively long string is supplied in the Computer Name field. By pasting a malicious payload into the Computer Name input field and clicking Activate, attackers can cause the application to crash.

Critical Impact

Local attackers can cause application crashes through buffer overflow in the Computer Name field, resulting in denial of service conditions.

Affected Products

• Free IP Switcher version 3.1
• Eusing Software Free IP Switcher

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-03-30 - CVE CVE-2018-25230 published to NVD
• 2026-03-30 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2018-25230

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as CWE-787 (Out-of-bounds Write), commonly known as a buffer overflow. The application fails to properly validate the length of user-supplied input in the Computer Name field before copying it into a fixed-size memory buffer. When an excessively long string is provided, the application writes data beyond the allocated buffer boundaries, corrupting adjacent memory and ultimately causing the application to crash.

The local attack vector requires user interaction—specifically, the attacker must paste a crafted payload into the Computer Name input field and click the Activate button. While the vulnerability requires local access and user interaction, no privileges are required to exploit it. The impact is limited to availability, causing a denial of service condition without compromising confidentiality or integrity.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is improper input validation in Free IP Switcher 3.1. The application does not enforce appropriate length restrictions on the Computer Name field, allowing arbitrarily long strings to be processed. This lack of boundary checking leads to an out-of-bounds write condition when the input exceeds the buffer size allocated to store the computer name.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is local and requires minimal complexity. An attacker with local access to a system running Free IP Switcher 3.1 can exploit this vulnerability through the following steps:

1. Open Free IP Switcher 3.1 on the target system
2. Navigate to the Computer Name input field
3. Paste an excessively long string (malicious payload) into the field
4. Click the Activate button to trigger the buffer overflow

The exploitation does not require authentication or special privileges, though it does require user interaction (the attacker or an unwitting user must click the Activate button). A proof-of-concept exploit is documented in Exploit-DB #46382.

Detection Methods for CVE-2018-25230

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected crashes of Free IP Switcher application
• Application error logs showing memory access violations or buffer overflow errors
• Presence of unusually long strings in configuration files or input fields related to Computer Name

Detection Strategies

• Monitor for Free IP Switcher 3.1 application crashes or unexpected terminations
• Implement endpoint detection rules for buffer overflow exploitation patterns targeting desktop applications
• Review system event logs for application crash events associated with FreeIPSwitcher.exe

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable application crash monitoring on endpoints running Free IP Switcher
• Configure SentinelOne Singularity to detect anomalous behavior in desktop utility applications
• Audit installed software inventory to identify systems running vulnerable Free IP Switcher 3.1

How to Mitigate CVE-2018-25230

Immediate Actions Required

• Discontinue use of Free IP Switcher 3.1 if possible
• Restrict local access to systems where Free IP Switcher is installed
• Consider using alternative IP switching utilities that are actively maintained
• Educate users about the risks of pasting untrusted content into application input fields

Patch Information

No vendor patch information is currently available for this vulnerability. The Eusing Software Homepage should be monitored for potential updates. Users are advised to check the vendor website for newer versions that may address this issue. Additional technical details are available in the VulnCheck Advisory on DoS.

Workarounds

• Limit local access to systems running Free IP Switcher 3.1 to trusted users only
• Consider uninstalling Free IP Switcher 3.1 and using alternative network configuration tools
• Implement application whitelisting policies to control which applications can run on endpoints
• Use endpoint protection solutions like SentinelOne to detect and prevent exploitation attempts