Description

BUSMASTER file parser abnormal exit in 4.6.0 to 4.6.7 and 4.4.0 to 4.4.18 allows denial of service

Executive Summary

Technical Details

Mitigations

References

Additional Metadata

{
  "score": "3.1",
  "pubDate": "2026-08-19T23:16:21.320Z",
  "pubdate": "2026-08-19T23:16:21.320Z",
  "executiveSummary": "A denial of service vulnerability exists within the file parser component of BUSMASTER versions 4.6.0 to 4.6.7 and 4.4.0 to 4.4.18. The flaw allows an unauthenticated attacker to cause an abnormal application exit, resulting in service interruption and potential data loss for users processing maliciously crafted input files. The vulnerability stems from improper handling of specific structural or semantic anomalies within input data processed by the file parsing engine. Successful exploitation requires an attacker to trick a user into opening a specially crafted file or supplying it to the application via automated processing workflows. The resulting abnormal termination directly impacts system availability by crashing the primary controller area network analysis and simulation software. Organizations utilizing the affected BUSMASTER versions face operational risks in environments where continuous log analysis and bus simulation are critical. Remediation requires updating to patched versions of the software or restricting the processing of untrusted files within the operational environment.",
  "technicalDetails": "The vulnerability resides in the file parser component of the BUSMASTER application, specifically impacting versions 4.6.0 through 4.6.7 and 4.4.0 through 4.4.18. The root cause involves a lack of robust input validation and error handling during the parsing of specialized log or configuration files. When the application encounters a malformed or maliciously crafted file, the parsing engine fails to safely handle unexpected data structures, memory offsets, or boundary conditions.\nThe attack flow begins when an attacker crafts a malicious input file designed to trigger an unhandled exception or critical assertion failure within the parser logic. The attacker must then deliver this file to the target system and induce the user or automated system to load it into BUSMASTER. Upon attempting to parse the file, the application encounters the anomalous data, triggering an abnormal exit or crash of the process.\nFrom a privilege and network perspective, this vulnerability does not inherently require network exposure or elevated privileges for initial execution, provided the victim user has local access to open the file. However, the impact is strictly constrained to a localized denial of service via application termination, as arbitrary code execution cannot be inferred solely from an abnormal exit condition.\nPost-exploitation impact is limited to the disruption of BUSMASTER operations, loss of unsaved workspace configurations, and potential interruption of active bus simulation or monitoring tasks. No further system compromise or privilege escalation is facilitated by this specific parsing flaw."
}