CVE-2007-1531 in Windows
Summary
by MITRE
Microsoft Windows XP and Vista overwrites ARP table entries included in gratuitous ARP, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (loss of network access) by sending a gratuitous ARP for the address of the Vista host.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/17/2018
The vulnerability described in CVE-2007-1531 represents a significant flaw in the implementation of Address Resolution Protocol handling within Microsoft Windows operating systems, specifically affecting Windows XP and Vista. This issue stems from how these operating systems process gratuitous ARP messages, which are unsolicited ARP responses typically used to announce an IP address change or to resolve conflicts between network devices. The flaw manifests when the Windows operating system receives a gratuitous ARP packet containing an IP address that matches its own, leading to the overwrite of existing ARP table entries without proper validation or security checks.
The technical nature of this vulnerability places it squarely within the realm of network protocol implementation weaknesses, specifically categorized under CWE-119 in the Common Weakness Enumeration system, which deals with weaknesses related to the improper handling of memory or resources. The flaw allows remote attackers to exploit the ARP table management mechanism by simply broadcasting a gratuitous ARP packet that claims to be from the target Windows Vista or XP machine. This attack vector operates at the network layer and demonstrates a critical failure in the operating system's trust model for ARP messages, as it does not properly validate the authenticity or legitimacy of gratuitous ARP responses before accepting and storing them in the ARP cache.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple network disruption to create a complete denial of service condition for the targeted system. When an attacker successfully overwrites the ARP table entries, the affected Windows machine loses its ability to properly communicate on the network, resulting in loss of network access for all applications and services that depend on network connectivity. This type of attack can be particularly devastating in enterprise environments where network availability is critical for business operations, as it can effectively isolate individual machines or entire segments of network infrastructure. The attack requires minimal resources from the attacker, making it both practical and dangerous in real-world scenarios.
From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability aligns with several tactics described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework, particularly those related to network denial of service and privilege escalation through network manipulation. The attack pattern demonstrates how fundamental network protocol implementations can be exploited to achieve system compromise without requiring elevated privileges or complex exploitation techniques. Organizations affected by this vulnerability should implement immediate mitigations including network segmentation, ARP inspection mechanisms, and the deployment of network monitoring tools to detect anomalous ARP traffic patterns. The fix for this vulnerability required Microsoft to modify the Windows ARP table handling logic to include proper validation of gratuitous ARP messages and to implement more robust checks before updating ARP cache entries. This incident highlighted the importance of proper protocol implementation and the need for comprehensive testing of network stack components against various attack scenarios.