CVE-2018-25295 Overview
CVE-2018-25295 is a denial of service vulnerability affecting ObserverIP Scan Tool version 1.4.0.1. The vulnerability allows local attackers to crash the application by submitting an excessively long string in the IP input field. An attacker can paste a 2000-byte buffer of repeated characters into the IP field and trigger a search operation to cause an application crash, resulting in a complete denial of service condition.
Critical Impact
Local attackers can exploit this buffer handling flaw to cause application crashes, disrupting weather monitoring operations that depend on ObserverIP Scan Tool functionality.
Affected Products
- ObserverIP Scan Tool 1.4.0.1
- IPTools 64-bit (associated software package)
- Ambient Weather ObserverIP network scanning utilities
Discovery Timeline
- 2026-04-26 - CVE CVE-2018-25295 published to NVD
- 2026-04-27 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2018-25295
Vulnerability Analysis
This vulnerability is classified under CWE-789 (Memory Allocation with Excessive Size Value). The core issue lies in improper input validation within the ObserverIP Scan Tool application when processing user-supplied data in the IP input field. The application fails to properly validate or limit the length of input strings before processing them, which allows an attacker to provide an abnormally large input that exceeds expected boundaries.
When a user enters a string into the IP field, the application does not implement adequate bounds checking. This allows input well beyond the expected length of a standard IP address (maximum 15 characters for IPv4). By submitting approximately 2000 bytes of data, the application's memory handling routines become overwhelmed, leading to resource exhaustion and subsequent application crash.
Root Cause
The root cause of this vulnerability is the absence of proper input length validation in the IP address input field handler. The application allocates memory based on user-supplied input without verifying that the input conforms to expected size constraints. When processing an excessively long string during a search operation, the application attempts to allocate or process more memory than intended, causing the memory allocation with excessive size value condition that results in application failure.
Attack Vector
The attack requires local access to the system running ObserverIP Scan Tool. An attacker with user-level access can exploit this vulnerability by:
- Opening the ObserverIP Scan Tool application
- Navigating to the IP input field
- Pasting approximately 2000 bytes of repeated characters (e.g., a string of repeated 'A' characters)
- Triggering the search or scan functionality
Upon initiating the search operation with the oversized input, the application crashes immediately. This attack does not require elevated privileges and can be performed by any user with access to the application interface. The exploitation is straightforward and requires no special tools or techniques beyond basic clipboard operations.
A proof of concept for this vulnerability is documented in Exploit-DB #45204, which provides additional technical details about the exploitation methodology.
Detection Methods for CVE-2018-25295
Indicators of Compromise
- Repeated application crash events for ObserverIP Scan Tool in Windows Event Logs
- Unusual memory allocation patterns or memory exhaustion alerts related to the ObserverIP process
- Application crash dumps containing evidence of excessive string input in IP-related memory regions
- User activity logs showing abnormally long text paste operations to the application
Detection Strategies
- Monitor Windows Application Event Logs for recurring crash events associated with ObserverIP Scan Tool executable
- Implement endpoint detection rules to identify abnormal memory allocation patterns in monitored applications
- Deploy application-level logging to capture input validation failures or exceptionally long input strings
Monitoring Recommendations
- Configure SentinelOne endpoint protection to monitor for application crashes and potential denial of service conditions
- Enable crash dump collection for forensic analysis of application failures
- Set up alerts for repeated application restarts or crash events within short time intervals
How to Mitigate CVE-2018-25295
Immediate Actions Required
- Review user access controls to limit who can run ObserverIP Scan Tool on critical systems
- Consider restricting application access to trusted administrators only
- Implement application whitelisting policies to control execution of potentially vulnerable software
- Evaluate alternative IP scanning tools that have proper input validation
Patch Information
No official vendor patch has been identified in the available CVE data. Users should check with Ambient Weather for any updated versions of the software that may address this vulnerability. The IPTools 64-bit Download page may contain updated software releases.
For additional technical details, refer to the VulnCheck Advisory on this vulnerability.
Workarounds
- Restrict access to the ObserverIP Scan Tool application to only essential personnel who require IP scanning functionality
- Implement user training to prevent accidental or intentional input of excessively long strings
- Deploy the application in a sandboxed environment to minimize impact of crashes on production systems
- Consider using network-level IP discovery tools as an alternative to client-side scanning applications
# Restrict application access (Windows)
# Remove execute permissions for non-administrator users
icacls "C:\Program Files\IPTools\ObserverIP.exe" /deny Users:(X)
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
