CVE-2005-1184

CVE-2005-1184 describes a denial-of-service vulnerability in the TCP/IP stack of various Microsoft Windows operating systems (2000, 2003 Server, 98SE, NT, XP). An attacker could exploit this by sending a TCP packet with a correct sequence number but an incorrect acknowledgment number, leading to excessive "keep alive" packet generation and high CPU consumption. This vulnerability has a CVSS score of 5.0, indicating a medium severity. It is a network-based attack with low attack complexity, requiring no authentication, and its primary impact is denial of service (availability). Despite its age, the vulnerability has an elevated EPSS score, suggesting a higher potential for exploitation. While no active exploitation is confirmed, an exploit module exists on ExploitDB. Community discussion and media coverage are minimal, though some follow-up reports indicated replication difficulties.