CVE-2004-2679 in Firewall-1
Summary
by MITRE
Check Point Firewall-1 4.1 up to NG AI R55 allows remote attackers to obtain potentially sensitive information by sending an Internet Key Exchange (IKE) with a certain Vendor ID payload that causes Firewall-1 to return a response containing version and other information.
Be aware that VulDB is the high quality source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/28/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2004-2679 affects Check Point Firewall-1 version 4.1 through NG AI R55, representing a significant information disclosure flaw within the Internet Key Exchange protocol implementation. This weakness resides in the IKE processing mechanism where the firewall fails to properly validate Vendor ID payloads received from remote peers, creating an avenue for adversaries to extract sensitive system information through crafted IKE messages.
The technical flaw manifests when the Firewall-1 system receives an IKE message containing a specific Vendor ID payload that triggers an unintended response behavior. The system's inadequate input validation allows the malicious IKE packet to cause the firewall to return detailed version information and other potentially sensitive system attributes in its response. This occurs because the IKE daemon does not properly sanitize or filter the Vendor ID field before generating its reply, leading to information leakage that could aid subsequent attack phases.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates substantial risk for organizations relying on Check Point Firewall-1 for network security. The disclosed information includes system version details and configuration parameters that could be leveraged by attackers to tailor more sophisticated attacks against the specific firewall implementation. This information disclosure aligns with CWE-200, which categorizes improper output handling as a weakness leading to information exposure. The vulnerability effectively undermines the principle of least privilege by revealing system internals that should remain hidden from external parties.
The attack vector is particularly concerning as it requires only remote network access to exploit, making it accessible to adversaries without physical presence or elevated privileges. This remote code execution potential through information gathering represents a classic reconnaissance primitive that enables more advanced attacks. The vulnerability's classification under the ATT&CK framework would fall under T1082 - System Information Discovery, where adversaries gather detailed information about the target system to inform their attack strategy.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the vendor-supplied patches for Firewall-1 NG AI R55, configuring network access controls to limit IKE traffic to trusted sources, and implementing network monitoring to detect unusual IKE message patterns. The solution aligns with security best practices outlined in NIST SP 800-53 and ISO 27001 frameworks, which emphasize the importance of protecting system information and implementing proper input validation controls. Network segmentation and firewall rule restrictions on IKE port 500 can help reduce the attack surface while awaiting full patch deployment.