CVE-2002-1426 in ProCurve Switch 4000M
Summary
by MITRE
HP ProCurve Switch 4000M C.07.23 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) via an SNMP write request containing 85 characters, possibly triggering a buffer overflow.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/15/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2002-1426 affects HP ProCurve Switch 4000M series devices running firmware version C.07.23 and potentially earlier versions. This issue represents a classic buffer overflow vulnerability that manifests through Simple Network Management Protocol write operations, specifically when an attacker sends an SNMP write request containing exactly 85 characters. The flaw exists within the switch's SNMP implementation and demonstrates a critical security weakness in network infrastructure device design. The vulnerability impacts the availability of the affected network equipment by enabling remote attackers to crash the device through a carefully crafted SNMP packet, effectively creating a denial of service condition that disrupts network operations.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the manipulation of SNMP write requests, which are part of the standard network management protocols used to configure and monitor network devices. When an SNMP write request containing 85 characters is processed by the affected switch firmware, it triggers a buffer overflow condition in the device's memory management routines. This buffer overflow occurs because the switch fails to properly validate the length of incoming SNMP write requests before processing them, allowing an attacker to exceed the allocated buffer space and overwrite adjacent memory locations. The specific character count of 85 suggests a precise buffer size calculation that attackers can exploit to reliably crash the device without requiring additional sophisticated techniques.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption, as it represents a significant threat to network availability and reliability. Network administrators managing HP ProCurve Switch 4000M devices face the risk of unexpected device crashes that can occur without any local access requirements, making the attack surface extremely wide. The vulnerability's remote exploitability means that attackers can target these devices from anywhere on the network, potentially causing cascading failures in network infrastructure. This type of denial of service attack can have severe consequences for business operations, particularly in environments where network uptime is critical for business continuity. The vulnerability also demonstrates poor input validation practices in network device firmware development, which can lead to similar issues in other components of the same device or family of devices.
From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, which describes stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and represents a clear violation of secure coding practices that should prevent such memory corruption issues. The attack vector maps to the ATT&CK technique T1499.004, which covers network denial of service attacks, and demonstrates how seemingly minor implementation flaws can create significant operational risks. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including firmware updates from HP, SNMP access controls to restrict write operations to trusted sources, and network segmentation to limit potential attack vectors. Additionally, monitoring network traffic for unusual SNMP write requests and implementing intrusion detection systems can help identify exploitation attempts before they succeed in causing device crashes. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of proper input validation and memory management in network infrastructure devices, particularly given the increasing reliance on automated network management protocols and the growing attack surface of connected network equipment.