CVE-2000-0482 in Firewall-1
Summary
by MITRE
Check Point Firewall-1 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service by sending a large number of malformed fragmented IP packets.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/03/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2000-0482 represents a critical denial of service flaw within Check Point Firewall-1 network security software. This weakness specifically targets the firewall's handling of IP packet fragmentation processing, creating a condition where legitimate network traffic can be disrupted through carefully crafted malicious input. The vulnerability exists in the packet processing logic that fails to properly validate or handle malformed fragmented IP packets, leading to system instability and potential complete service interruption.
The technical flaw manifests when the Firewall-1 system receives a large volume of malformed fragmented IP packets that exceed normal processing parameters. The system's packet reassembly mechanism lacks adequate input validation and error handling capabilities, causing the firewall to either crash or become unresponsive when encountering these malformed packets. This issue falls under the category of improper input validation as defined by CWE-20, where the system fails to properly validate the structure and content of received network packets. The vulnerability demonstrates characteristics of a resource exhaustion attack pattern where the attacker leverages the firewall's processing limitations to consume system resources until the service becomes unavailable.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption to potentially compromise network security infrastructure. When exploited, the denial of service condition can render the firewall ineffective in protecting network boundaries, leaving systems vulnerable to other attacks while the security device is offline. Network administrators may experience significant downtime as the firewall requires manual intervention or system restarts to recover from the attack condition. The vulnerability affects organizations that rely on Check Point Firewall-1 for network protection, particularly those with high network traffic volumes where the attack can be amplified through packet flooding techniques.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing proper input validation and rate limiting mechanisms within the firewall configuration. Network administrators should consider applying the latest security patches released by Check Point to address the specific flaw in packet processing. Additionally, implementing network segmentation and traffic monitoring can help detect and prevent the exploitation of this vulnerability. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this type of attack under privilege escalation and denial of service techniques, where adversaries leverage system weaknesses to disrupt services. Organizations should also consider deploying intrusion detection systems that can identify malformed packet patterns and automatically block suspicious traffic. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should include verification of firewall packet processing capabilities to prevent exploitation of similar weaknesses in network security infrastructure.