CVE-2021-47893: AgataSoft PingMaster Pro DoS Vulnerability

CVE-2021-47893 Overview

AgataSoft PingMaster Pro 2.1 contains a denial of service vulnerability in the Trace Route feature that allows attackers to crash the application by overflowing the host name input field. This buffer overflow condition occurs when an attacker generates a 10,000-character buffer and pastes it into the host name field, triggering an application crash and potential system instability.

Critical Impact

Local attackers can cause denial of service by exploiting improper input validation in the Trace Route feature, leading to application crashes and potential system instability.

Affected Products

• AgataSoft PingMaster Pro 2.1

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-01-23 - CVE CVE-2021-47893 published to NVD
• 2026-01-26 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2021-47893

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-770 (Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling), indicating that the application fails to properly limit or throttle resource allocation when processing user-supplied input. The Trace Route feature in AgataSoft PingMaster Pro 2.1 does not implement adequate input validation or boundary checks on the host name input field.

When a user or attacker provides an excessively long string (approximately 10,000 characters) in the host name field, the application attempts to process this data without proper bounds checking. This leads to memory corruption or resource exhaustion, causing the application to crash unexpectedly. The vulnerability requires local access and user interaction, as an attacker would need to paste the malicious input into the application's interface.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is improper allocation of resources without limits or throttling (CWE-770). The application's Trace Route feature fails to validate the length of user-supplied input in the host name field before processing it. This lack of input boundary validation allows oversized data to be processed, resulting in memory allocation issues that crash the application.

Attack Vector

This is a local attack vector requiring user interaction. An attacker must have local access to a system running AgataSoft PingMaster Pro 2.1 and manually input the malicious payload into the Trace Route feature's host name field. The attack does not require elevated privileges but does require the user to actively paste or input the oversized buffer into the application interface.

The exploitation process involves:

1. Generating a buffer of approximately 10,000 characters
2. Opening AgataSoft PingMaster Pro 2.1 and navigating to the Trace Route feature
3. Pasting the oversized buffer into the host name input field
4. Triggering the application crash upon input processing

Technical details and proof-of-concept information are available through the Exploit-DB #49567 entry and the VulnCheck Advisory.

Detection Methods for CVE-2021-47893

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected crashes of PingMaster.exe or related processes
• Application crash logs showing memory allocation failures or access violations
• Evidence of large clipboard operations immediately before application crashes
• System event logs indicating application hangs or unresponsive behavior in PingMaster Pro

Detection Strategies

• Monitor for repeated application crashes of AgataSoft PingMaster Pro through Windows Event Viewer
• Implement endpoint detection rules to alert on unusual memory allocation patterns in network utility applications
• Deploy SentinelOne Singularity to detect and alert on application crash patterns indicative of exploitation attempts
• Review crash dump files for evidence of buffer overflow conditions in input handling routines

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable Windows Error Reporting to capture crash dumps for forensic analysis
• Configure SentinelOne behavioral AI to monitor for denial of service patterns in desktop applications
• Implement application whitelisting policies to control execution of potentially vulnerable software versions
• Monitor system resource utilization for signs of memory exhaustion attacks

How to Mitigate CVE-2021-47893

Immediate Actions Required

• Identify all systems running AgataSoft PingMaster Pro 2.1 and assess exposure
• Consider removing or replacing the affected application with alternative network diagnostic tools
• Restrict access to the vulnerable application to trusted users only
• Implement application-level controls to limit input field sizes where possible

Patch Information

No vendor patch information is currently available for this vulnerability. Users should check the AgataSoft Homepage for any security updates or newer versions that may address this issue. If no patch is available, consider migrating to alternative network monitoring tools that implement proper input validation.

Workarounds

• Avoid using the Trace Route feature in AgataSoft PingMaster Pro 2.1 until a patch is available
• Use alternative built-in Windows utilities like tracert command for trace route functionality
• Implement endpoint protection solutions such as SentinelOne to detect and prevent exploitation attempts
• Restrict clipboard functionality in high-security environments to prevent pasting of malicious payloads

# Alternative trace route using Windows built-in utility
tracert -h 30 example.com

# Use PowerShell for network diagnostics instead
Test-NetConnection -ComputerName example.com -TraceRoute