CVE-2018-25262: Angry IP Scanner DoS Vulnerability

CVE-2018-25262 Overview

CVE-2018-25262 is a denial of service vulnerability affecting Angry IP Scanner for Linux version 3.5.3. The vulnerability allows local attackers to crash the application by supplying malformed input to the port selection field. Specifically, attackers can craft a malicious string containing buffer overflow patterns and paste it into the Preferences Ports tab to trigger an application crash.

Critical Impact

Local attackers can cause a denial of service condition, crashing the Angry IP Scanner application and disrupting network scanning operations.

Affected Products

• Angry IP Scanner for Linux 3.5.3

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-04-22 - CVE CVE-2018-25262 published to NVD
• 2026-04-22 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2018-25262

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as CWE-787 (Out-of-Bounds Write), indicating that the application writes data past the end of a buffer boundary. When a user pastes specially crafted malicious input into the Preferences Ports tab, the application fails to properly validate the input length and content before processing. This improper input handling leads to memory corruption that causes the application to crash.

The local attack vector means an attacker must have local access to the system running Angry IP Scanner or must convince a legitimate user to paste the malicious input. No authentication is required to exploit this vulnerability, and user interaction is not necessary if the attacker has direct access to the application interface.

Root Cause

The root cause lies in insufficient input validation within the port selection field handling code. When processing port range input in the Preferences dialog, the application does not adequately check the length or format of the provided string. This allows an attacker to supply a malformed string that exceeds expected buffer boundaries, resulting in an out-of-bounds write condition that corrupts memory and crashes the application.

Attack Vector

The attack requires local access to the Angry IP Scanner application. An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by:

1. Opening the Angry IP Scanner Preferences dialog
2. Navigating to the Ports tab
3. Pasting a crafted malicious string containing buffer overflow patterns into the port selection field
4. The application processes the malformed input without proper validation
5. An out-of-bounds write occurs, causing memory corruption
6. The application crashes, resulting in denial of service

The vulnerability has been documented in publicly available exploit databases. Technical details can be found in the Exploit-DB #46038 advisory.

Detection Methods for CVE-2018-25262

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected crashes or termination of the Angry IP Scanner application
• Application crash logs showing memory corruption or segmentation faults
• Suspicious clipboard activity followed by application instability
• Error messages related to buffer handling or memory allocation failures

Detection Strategies

• Monitor for repeated crashes of the ipscan process or Angry IP Scanner executable
• Implement application crash monitoring to detect abnormal termination events
• Review system logs for segmentation fault entries associated with Angry IP Scanner
• Deploy endpoint detection solutions that can identify buffer overflow patterns in application input

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable application crash reporting and logging on systems running Angry IP Scanner
• Monitor for unusual patterns of application restarts or failures
• Implement SentinelOne Singularity endpoint protection to detect and alert on application crash events
• Consider restricting access to Angry IP Scanner to trusted users only

How to Mitigate CVE-2018-25262

Immediate Actions Required

• Update Angry IP Scanner to the latest available version from the official project homepage
• Restrict access to systems running vulnerable versions of Angry IP Scanner
• Review user permissions to limit who can interact with the application
• Consider using alternative network scanning tools until patched versions are deployed

Patch Information

Users should check the Angry IP Project Homepage for the latest version releases that may address this vulnerability. Refer to the VulnCheck Advisory for Angry IP for additional remediation guidance.

Workarounds

• Avoid pasting untrusted content into the Angry IP Scanner Preferences Ports field
• Restrict application usage to trusted users with validated input practices
• Run Angry IP Scanner in isolated environments where crashes have minimal operational impact
• Implement input filtering or monitoring at the endpoint level to detect malicious strings

# Verify installed version of Angry IP Scanner
ipscan --version
# Update to latest version using package manager if available
# Or download latest release from https://angryip.org/