Multiple format string vulnerabilities in the ID Software Doom 3 engine, as used by Doom 3 1.3.1 and earlier, Quake 4 1.4.2 and earlier, and Prey 1.3 and earlier, when Punkbuster (PB) is enabled, allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (daemon crash) via format string specifiers in (1) a PB_Y packet to the YPG server or (2) a PB_U packet to UCON. NOTE: this issue might be in Punkbuster itself, but there are insufficient details to be certain.
The product uses a function that accepts a format string as an argument, but the format string originates from an external source.
| Name | Vendor | Start Version | End Version |
|---|---|---|---|
| Doom_3 | Id_software | * | 1.3.1 (including) |
| Quake_4 | Id_software | * | 1.4.2 (including) |
| Prey | Take2games | * | 1.3 (including) |
When an attacker can modify an externally-controlled format string, this can lead to buffer overflows, denial of service, or data representation problems. It should be noted that in some circumstances, such as internationalization, the set of format strings is externally controlled by design. If the source of these format strings is trusted (e.g. only contained in library files that are only modifiable by the system administrator), then the external control might not itself pose a vulnerability.