CVE-2002-1072 in Prestige 310
Summary
by MITRE
ZyXEL Prestige 642R 2.50(FA.1) and Prestige 310 V3.25(M.01), allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service via an oversized, fragmented "jolt" style ICMP packet.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/22/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2002-1072 affects ZyXEL Prestige 642R 2.50(FA.1) and Prestige 310 V3.25(M.01) router models, representing a critical denial of service flaw that can be exploited remotely through crafted network traffic. This vulnerability resides within the network protocol handling mechanisms of these specific router firmware versions, where the device fails to properly process oversized ICMP packets that are fragmented in a particular "jolt" style pattern. The issue stems from inadequate input validation and packet processing logic within the router's network stack implementation, creating a condition where malformed ICMP traffic can trigger unexpected behavior in the device's operating system.
The technical flaw manifests when the router receives an ICMP packet that exceeds the expected size limits and is fragmented in a specific manner that the device's ICMP handler cannot properly process. This particular "jolt" style fragmentation pattern causes the router's processing routines to either enter an infinite loop, consume excessive system resources, or crash entirely, resulting in the device becoming unresponsive and unable to process legitimate network traffic. The vulnerability is classified as a buffer over-read or improper input validation issue that aligns with CWE-129 and CWE-787 categories, which address issues related to insufficient boundary checking and improper handling of input data.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability represents a significant threat to network availability and business continuity for organizations relying on these specific ZyXEL router models. The remote exploitation capability means that attackers can initiate denial of service attacks without requiring physical access or authentication credentials, making the vulnerability particularly dangerous in publicly accessible network environments. Once successfully exploited, the router becomes unavailable for network traffic processing, effectively cutting off network connectivity for all devices relying on that specific router as their gateway. The attack can be executed from any location on the internet, making it a scalable threat that can affect multiple networks simultaneously, particularly in scenarios where these routers are deployed in enterprise or small business environments.
The mitigation strategies for this vulnerability involve immediate firmware updates from ZyXEL to address the specific packet processing flaw in the affected router models. Network administrators should also implement defensive measures such as ICMP traffic filtering at network boundaries, rate limiting for ICMP packets, and monitoring for unusual fragmentation patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. The implementation of intrusion prevention systems that can detect and block malformed ICMP traffic patterns provides an additional layer of defense. Organizations should also consider network segmentation to limit the impact of potential exploitation and establish incident response procedures to quickly identify and remediate any successful attacks. This vulnerability demonstrates the importance of regular firmware updates and proper network security monitoring as outlined in the mitre ATT&CK framework under the network infiltration and denial of service tactics, where adversaries leverage protocol implementation flaws to compromise system availability.