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CAPEC-330

ICMP Error Message Echoing Integrity Probe

Low severityMedium likelihoodDetailed pattern

An adversary uses a technique to generate an ICMP Error message (Port Unreachable, Destination Unreachable, Redirect, Source Quench, Time Exceeded, Parameter Problem) from a target and then analyze the integrity of data returned or "Quoted" from the originating request that generated the error message.

On this page

A tremendous amount of information about the host operating system can be deduced from its 'echoing' characteristics. Notably, inspection of key protocol header fields, including the echoed header fields of the encapsulating protocol can yield a wealth of data about the host operating system or firmware version.

For this purpose "Port Unreachable" error messages are often used, as generating them requires the adversary to send a UDP datagram to a closed port on the target. When replying with an ICMP error message some IP/ICMP stack implementations change aspects of the IP header, change or reverse certain byte orders, reset certain field values to default values which differ between operating system and firmware implementations, and make other changes. Some IP/ICMP stacks are decidedly broken, indicating an idiosyncratic behavior that differs from the RFC specifications, such as the case when miscalculations affect a field value.

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Show the promptExplain the attack pattern CAPEC-330: ICMP Error Message Echoing Integrity Probe: how it unfolds, what it needs and how to prevent and detect it in my systems. Use https://capec.mitre.org/data/definitions/330.html and https://cve.bz/cve/capec/330?via=ask-ai-copy, which lists recent CVEs with the weaknesses it exploits. Cite the sources.

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Prerequisites

  • The ability to monitor and interact with network communications.Access to at least one host, and the privileges to interface with the network interface card.

Resources required

  • A tool capable of sending/receiving UDP datagram packets from a remote system to a closed port and receive an ICMP Error Message Type 3, "Port Unreachable..

Consequences

What a successful attack can lead to
ImpactAffectsNote
Read DataConfidentiality
Bypass Protection Mechanism, Hide ActivitiesConfidentiality, Access Control, Authorization

Weaknesses it exploits

  • CWE-200 Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor

Recent CVEs with these weaknesses

  1. 4.3CVE-2026-124944

    Information disclosure in the Marionette component. This vulnerability was fixed in Firefox 160.

  2. 4.3CVE-2026-124941

    Information disclosure in the Security: RLBox component. This vulnerability was fixed in Firefox 160 and Firefox ESR 153.7.

  3. 4.3CVE-2026-124930

    Information disclosure in the Address Bar component. This vulnerability was fixed in Firefox 160 and Firefox ESR 153.7.

  4. 4.3CVE-2026-124929

    Information disclosure in the Layout: Form Controls component. This vulnerability was fixed in Firefox 160 and Firefox ESR 153.7.

  5. 4.3CVE-2026-124925

    Information disclosure in the Layout component. This vulnerability was fixed in Firefox 160.

  6. 4.3CVE-2026-124909

    Information disclosure in the Private Browsing component. This vulnerability was fixed in Firefox 160 and Firefox ESR 153.7.

  7. 5.3CVE-2026-96769

    The Extend B2B - Companies and Users Management for WooCommerce plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Sensitive Information Exposure in all versions up to, and including, 2.1.4 via the register_company_api. This makes it possible for unaut…

  8. 7.5CVE-2026-63644

    bird-lg-go is a BIRD looking glass in Go. Prior to version 1.4.7, unsanitized input path enables arbitrary local file read, allowing an unauthenticated remote attacker to read sensitive files such as /etc/shadow and /root/.bash_history. Th…

The newest records naming one of them. Each weakness's page lists them all.

Part of

MITRE's words, unchanged: CAPEC-330 at MITRE. CAPEC is Copyright © 2007–2026, The MITRE Corporation, used under the CAPEC terms of use: “The MITRE Corporation (MITRE) hereby grants you a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC™) for research, development, and commercial purposes. Any copy you make for such purposes is authorized provided that you reproduce MITRE’s copyright designation and this license in any such copy.” CAPEC and the CAPEC logo are trademarks of The MITRE Corporation. Credits. All attack patterns.