CVE-2019-25326: ipPulse DOS Vulnerability

CVE-2019-25326 Overview

CVE-2019-25326 is a buffer overflow vulnerability (CWE-120) affecting ipPulse version 1.92, a network utility application. The vulnerability allows local attackers to crash the application by providing an oversized input in the Enter Key field. Specifically, attackers can generate a 256-byte buffer of repeated characters to trigger an application crash when pasting the malicious content into the vulnerable input field.

Critical Impact

Local denial of service condition that causes application crash through buffer overflow exploitation in the Enter Key input field.

Affected Products

• ipPulse version 1.92

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-02-18 - CVE CVE-2019-25326 published to NVD
• 2026-02-19 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2019-25326

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as a classic buffer overflow (CWE-120: Buffer Copy without Checking Size of Input). The ipPulse application fails to properly validate the length of user-supplied input in the Enter Key field before copying it into a fixed-size buffer. When a user pastes or enters input exceeding the expected buffer size, the application writes data beyond the allocated memory region, corrupting adjacent memory and causing the application to crash.

The local attack vector requires user interaction, as an attacker must convince a legitimate user to paste the malicious input or gain local access to the system running ipPulse. While this limits the attack surface, the vulnerability can still be exploited to disrupt network monitoring or diagnostic operations performed with the tool.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2019-25326 is insufficient input validation in the Enter Key field handler. The application allocates a fixed-size buffer for key input but does not enforce length restrictions before copying user-supplied data. When input exceeding 256 bytes is provided, the buffer overflow occurs, leading to memory corruption and subsequent application crash. This is a textbook example of missing bounds checking on user input.

Attack Vector

The attack requires local access to the system where ipPulse 1.92 is installed. An attacker crafts a malicious payload consisting of an oversized string (256 bytes of repeated characters) and pastes this content into the Enter Key field. The exploitation is straightforward:

1. The attacker prepares a buffer containing 256 or more repeated characters (e.g., 'A' characters)
2. The malicious content is pasted into the Enter Key input field within the ipPulse application
3. Upon processing the oversized input, the application attempts to copy the data into an undersized buffer
4. The buffer overflow corrupts adjacent memory structures
5. The application crashes, resulting in denial of service

Technical details and proof-of-concept information can be found in the Exploit-DB #47674 advisory.

Detection Methods for CVE-2019-25326

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected ipPulse application crashes or terminations
• Error logs indicating memory access violations or segmentation faults in ipPulse
• Unusual clipboard activity containing large buffers of repeated characters prior to application crashes

Detection Strategies

• Monitor for ipPulse process crashes using application monitoring tools or Windows Event Log analysis
• Implement endpoint detection rules that alert on repeated application crashes of ipPulse.exe
• Use behavioral analysis to detect clipboard operations containing anomalous patterns preceding application failures

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable detailed application crash logging on systems running ipPulse 1.92
• Deploy SentinelOne Singularity agents to detect and alert on abnormal application behavior and crash patterns
• Review system logs for patterns of repeated ipPulse failures that may indicate exploitation attempts

How to Mitigate CVE-2019-25326

Immediate Actions Required

• Verify the version of ipPulse installed and identify systems running the vulnerable version 1.92
• Consider restricting access to systems running ipPulse to trusted users only
• Evaluate whether ipPulse is required for operations; if not, consider removing or disabling the application
• Monitor for application crashes and investigate any suspicious activity

Patch Information

No vendor patch information is currently available in the vulnerability database. Users should consult the NetScan Tools IP Pulse Info page for any updates from the vendor. Additional advisory information is available from VulnCheck Advisory on IP Pulse.

Workarounds

• Restrict local access to systems running ipPulse 1.92 to prevent unauthorized exploitation
• Educate users about the risks of pasting untrusted content into application input fields
• Consider using alternative network diagnostic tools that are actively maintained and patched
• Implement application control policies to limit who can execute ipPulse

# Example: Application access restriction (Windows)
# Restrict ipPulse execution to specific user groups using NTFS permissions
icacls "C:\Program Files\ipPulse\ipPulse.exe" /inheritance:r /grant Administrators:RX