CVE-2004-0468 in Junos
Summary
by MITRE
memory leak in juniper junos packet forwarding engine (pfe) allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (memory exhaustion and device reboot) via certain ipv6 packets.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/19/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2004-0468 represents a critical memory leak flaw within the Juniper Junos packet forwarding engine PFE component that affects network infrastructure devices running this operating system. This vulnerability specifically targets the handling of IPv6 packets and demonstrates how improper memory management can lead to catastrophic system failures. The flaw exists in the way the PFE processes certain IPv6 packet structures, causing the system to continuously allocate memory without proper deallocation, ultimately leading to system resource exhaustion.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and memory management practices within the IPv6 packet processing pipeline of the Junos operating system. When the PFE receives specially crafted IPv6 packets, it fails to properly handle memory allocation for packet processing structures, particularly in the context of IPv6 extension headers and routing information. This memory leak occurs during the packet forwarding process where the system allocates memory for packet buffers and processing contexts but does not consistently release this memory back to the system heap. The vulnerability operates at the network layer where IPv6 packets are processed, making it particularly dangerous as it can be triggered remotely without requiring authentication or direct system access.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption to potentially compromise entire network infrastructures. Remote attackers can exploit this weakness by sending carefully constructed IPv6 packets to targeted Juniper devices, causing progressive memory exhaustion that eventually forces the device to reboot automatically. This denial of service condition can result in complete network outages, particularly in environments where Juniper devices serve as core routing or switching infrastructure. The memory leak is persistent and accumulative, meaning that each successful attack packet contributes to the system's memory depletion until the device becomes unresponsive and requires manual intervention to restore functionality.
Network administrators and security professionals should recognize this vulnerability as a significant risk to network availability and stability, particularly in environments with Juniper devices running vulnerable versions of Junos software. The attack vector is particularly concerning because it requires no authentication credentials and can be executed from any remote location with network access to the target device. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-401, which addresses improper release of memory, and demonstrates how memory management flaws can be exploited to create persistent denial of service conditions. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying vendor patches, implementing network segmentation to limit exposure, and deploying intrusion detection systems to monitor for suspicious IPv6 traffic patterns.
The remediation approach for this vulnerability involves applying the official Juniper security patches that address the memory leak in the PFE component's IPv6 packet handling routines. Security teams must also consider implementing access control lists to filter or drop suspicious IPv6 packets, particularly those with malformed extension headers or unusual routing information. Network monitoring should be enhanced to detect memory usage patterns that indicate potential exploitation attempts, and system administrators should establish regular health checks to identify devices showing signs of memory exhaustion. This vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of proper memory management in network infrastructure software and the potential for seemingly minor implementation flaws to create significant operational risks. The attack pattern described in this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499, which covers network disruption attacks through resource exhaustion, highlighting how memory leaks can be weaponized for denial of service purposes in network environments.