CVE-2004-2549 in WLAN Access Point
Summary
by MITRE
Nortel Wireless LAN (WLAN) Access Point (AP) 2220, 2221, and 2225 allow remote attackers to cause a denial of service (service crash) via a TCP request with a large string, followed by 8 newline characters, to (1) the Telnet service on TCP port 23 and (2) the HTTP service on TCP port 80, possibly due to a buffer overflow.
Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/07/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2004-2549 affects Nortel Wireless LAN Access Point models 2220, 2221, and 2225, representing a critical security flaw that enables remote attackers to execute denial of service attacks against these wireless infrastructure devices. This vulnerability specifically targets the Telnet service operating on TCP port 23 and the HTTP service running on TCP port 80, demonstrating the dangerous potential for remote exploitation that can compromise network availability and service integrity. The attack vector involves sending a specially crafted TCP request containing a large string followed by exactly eight newline characters, which triggers the vulnerable behavior in the affected access points.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and buffer management within the Nortel WLAN AP firmware implementations. When the affected devices process the malicious TCP request containing the oversized string followed by newline characters, the system fails to properly handle the input length, leading to memory corruption that ultimately results in service crashes and complete system unavailability. This behavior aligns with CWE-121, which describes stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and represents a classic example of insufficient boundary checking in network service implementations. The vulnerability manifests as a buffer overflow condition where the device's response handling mechanism cannot accommodate the excessive input length, causing memory corruption that leads to service termination.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption, as it can severely compromise wireless network availability and business continuity for organizations relying on Nortel access points. Network administrators may experience complete loss of wireless connectivity across affected access points, potentially affecting thousands of users simultaneously depending on the network architecture. The remote nature of the attack means that adversaries can exploit this vulnerability from anywhere on the network without requiring physical access or local credentials, making it particularly dangerous for enterprise environments. This vulnerability directly impacts the availability aspect of the CIA triad and can be classified under the ATT&CK technique T1498, which covers network denial of service attacks. Organizations with critical wireless infrastructure may face significant operational disruption, especially in environments where wireless connectivity is essential for business operations.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should include immediate firmware updates from Nortel to address the buffer overflow conditions in the affected access point models. Network segmentation and access control measures can help reduce the attack surface by limiting direct access to TCP ports 23 and 80 from untrusted networks. Implementing network monitoring solutions that can detect unusual traffic patterns or malformed TCP requests may provide early warning of exploitation attempts. Additionally, organizations should consider disabling unnecessary services such as Telnet and HTTP if they are not required for operations, as this reduces the potential attack vectors available to adversaries. The vulnerability highlights the importance of regular security assessments and prompt patch management for network infrastructure devices, particularly those handling network services that are exposed to external networks. Organizations should also implement proper network access controls to prevent unauthorized access to management interfaces and ensure that only authorized personnel can interact with these critical wireless infrastructure components.