CVE-2006-2272 in Stream Control Transmission Protocol
Summary
by MITRE
Linux SCTP (lksctp) before 2.6.17 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (kernel panic) via incoming IP fragmented (1) COOKIE_ECHO and (2) HEARTBEAT SCTP control chunks.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/19/2019
The vulnerability described in CVE-2006-2272 represents a critical denial of service weakness in the Linux Stream Control Transmission Protocol implementation known as lksctp. This flaw affects systems running Linux kernel versions prior to 2.6.17 and specifically targets the handling of fragmented IP packets containing SCTP control chunks. The vulnerability exploits a fundamental weakness in the kernel's packet processing logic when dealing with fragmented network traffic that contains SCTP protocol data. The issue manifests when the kernel receives IP fragments that contain SCTP COOKIE_ECHO and HEARTBEAT control chunks, which are essential components of the SCTP protocol used for connection establishment and keep-alive mechanisms.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the improper handling of fragmented packets within the SCTP implementation. When the Linux kernel processes incoming IP fragments, it fails to correctly account for the sequence and ordering of these fragments during SCTP control chunk processing. This leads to a situation where the kernel's memory management and packet reassembly mechanisms become corrupted, ultimately resulting in a kernel panic. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it can be triggered remotely without requiring authentication or special privileges, making it an attractive target for attackers seeking to disrupt network services. The specific SCTP control chunks involved are COOKIE_ECHO chunks used during the association establishment process and HEARTBEAT chunks used for connection monitoring, both of which are legitimate protocol components that should be handled safely by the kernel.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates significant risk for systems relying on SCTP services, particularly those running older Linux kernels. A successful exploitation can result in complete system crashes, requiring manual intervention to restore normal operations. The impact extends beyond individual system compromise as widespread exploitation could lead to cascading failures in network infrastructure, especially in environments where SCTP is used for critical communications such as telecommunications signaling, financial transactions, or industrial control systems. The vulnerability demonstrates a classic case of improper input validation and memory handling that violates fundamental security principles outlined in the Common Weakness Enumeration framework under CWE-129, which covers improper validation of input boundaries. This weakness directly maps to ATT&CK technique T1499.004 for network denial of service attacks, as it enables adversaries to disrupt availability of network services through kernel-level exploitation.
The mitigation strategy for this vulnerability requires immediate kernel updates to versions 2.6.17 or later where the SCTP implementation has been patched to properly handle fragmented packets. System administrators should prioritize patching affected systems, particularly those running legacy kernel versions that may not receive ongoing security updates. Organizations should also implement network monitoring to detect unusual patterns of fragmented SCTP traffic that might indicate attempted exploitation. Additional defensive measures include implementing firewall rules that limit the types of fragmented packets allowed through network boundaries and configuring intrusion detection systems to alert on suspicious SCTP control chunk patterns. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date kernel versions and the potential consequences of running unsupported software releases in production environments.