CVE-2000-0292 in Mx2800
Summary
by MITRE
The Adtran MX2800 M13 Multiplexer allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service via a ping flood to the Ethernet interface, which causes the device to crash.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/21/2026
The Adtran MX2800 M13 Multiplexer represents a critical network infrastructure device that suffered from a significant vulnerability allowing remote attackers to execute denial of service attacks through ping flood techniques. This vulnerability specifically targeted the Ethernet interface of the device, exploiting a fundamental flaw in how the multiplexer handled incoming network traffic. The device's inability to properly process or rate limit ICMP echo requests resulted in system instability and complete service disruption. The vulnerability demonstrates a classic example of inadequate input validation and resource management within network infrastructure equipment, where malicious actors could overwhelm the device's processing capabilities through simple network flooding attacks.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from the multiplexer's failure to implement proper traffic rate limiting or packet filtering mechanisms on its Ethernet interface. When subjected to sustained ping flood attacks, the device would consume excessive system resources, leading to memory exhaustion or processor overload conditions that ultimately caused the system to crash and become unavailable. This represents a fundamental weakness in the device's network stack implementation and highlights the importance of robust resource management in embedded network systems. The vulnerability operates at the network protocol level, specifically targeting the ICMP protocol implementation, and can be classified under CWE-400 as an unspecified resource management error that leads to denial of service conditions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption to potentially compromise network reliability and availability for organizations relying on the Adtran MX2800 M13 Multiplexer for their communications infrastructure. Network administrators would face challenges in maintaining consistent service availability, as attackers could easily render the device inoperable through relatively simple means. The attack vector requires minimal technical expertise, making it particularly dangerous as it could be exploited by a wide range of threat actors including script kiddies and more sophisticated adversaries. This vulnerability directly impacts the availability component of the CIA triad and represents a significant risk to business continuity and network operations.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should implement immediate mitigations including network segmentation to isolate the affected device, deployment of ingress filtering to block malicious ICMP traffic, and implementation of rate limiting mechanisms on the Ethernet interface. The device should be updated with firmware patches provided by Adtran or alternative network security measures such as intrusion prevention systems that can detect and block ping flood patterns. Network monitoring should be enhanced to identify unusual traffic patterns that may indicate an ongoing attack, and redundant systems should be considered to maintain service availability. This vulnerability aligns with attack patterns documented in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the denial of service category, specifically targeting network infrastructure components to disrupt service availability. The incident underscores the critical importance of proper network device hardening and the necessity of regular security assessments for all network infrastructure equipment to prevent exploitation of similar vulnerabilities.