CVE-2004-2273

## Vulnerability efFingerD version 0.2.12 contains a flaw in its protocol handling that causes the daemon to crash when it receives a packet containing only a single byte. This triggers a "Wrong protocol or connection state" error, leading to termination of the service. The vulnerability is reachable without any special configuration.

Exploitation

An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by sending a single-byte UDP or TCP packet (depending on the finger protocol) to the efFingerD service. No authentication or prior knowledge is required; the attacker only needs network access to the target host on the port where efFingerD listens.

Impact

Successful exploitation results in a denial of service (DoS) condition, as the efFingerD daemon crashes and becomes unavailable. This disrupts finger service for legitimate users. There is no indication of code execution or data compromise.

Mitigation

No official patch or fixed version has been identified in the available references. Users should consider disabling the efFingerD service if not needed, or restrict network access to the service via firewall rules to limit exposure to trusted hosts only.