CVE-2003-0556 in MGC-25
Summary
by MITRE
Polycom MGC 25 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) via a large number of "user" requests to the control port 5003, as demonstrated using the blast TCP stress tester.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/15/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2003-0556 affects Polycom MGC 25 communication devices, specifically targeting their control port 5003 which serves as a critical management interface for device configuration and monitoring. This vulnerability represents a classic denial of service attack vector that exploits insufficient input validation and resource management within the device's network processing stack. The affected device operates within enterprise communication environments where reliable voice and video conferencing services are essential, making this vulnerability particularly concerning for organizations dependent on continuous network infrastructure availability.
The technical flaw manifests through the device's inadequate handling of excessive user requests directed toward the control port 5003. When subjected to a large volume of malformed or excessive "user" requests, the MGC 25 device fails to properly process these inputs and subsequently crashes or becomes unresponsive. This behavior stems from the device's lack of proper request rate limiting, input sanitization, and resource allocation mechanisms that would normally prevent system overload conditions. The vulnerability operates at the network protocol level, specifically targeting the device's control plane rather than its data plane, making it particularly effective at disrupting management functions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption, as it can compromise the entire communication infrastructure managed by the affected device. Organizations relying on Polycom MGC 25 systems for voice and video conferencing may experience complete service outages during attack scenarios, potentially affecting business continuity and collaboration efforts across multiple departments. The attack can be executed using standard network stress testing tools like the blast TCP stress tester, which demonstrates the vulnerability's accessibility to threat actors with basic network security knowledge. This accessibility factor increases the likelihood of exploitation in environments where proper network segmentation and monitoring are not implemented.
Security professionals should recognize this vulnerability as a variant of CWE-400, which encompasses resource exhaustion weaknesses in software systems. The attack pattern aligns with ATT&CK technique T1498, specifically targeting network denial of service conditions through resource exhaustion. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including network segmentation to isolate the control port 5003 from untrusted networks, implementing rate limiting mechanisms on the affected port, and deploying network intrusion detection systems to monitor for unusual traffic patterns. Additionally, regular firmware updates and security patches should be applied to address the underlying implementation flaws that enable this vulnerability to persist in affected systems.
The broader implications of this vulnerability highlight the importance of robust input validation and resource management in network infrastructure devices. Many similar vulnerabilities exist in enterprise networking equipment where insufficient attention is paid to protecting management interfaces from malicious traffic patterns. This particular weakness demonstrates how seemingly simple protocol interactions can be exploited to create significant operational disruptions, emphasizing the need for comprehensive security testing of network management interfaces and the implementation of defense-in-depth strategies that protect critical control planes from both internal and external threats.