CVE-2008-1397 in Check Point Vpn-1 Pro
Summary
by MITRE
Check Point VPN-1 Power/UTM, with NGX R60 through R65 and NG AI R55 software, allows remote authenticated users to cause a denial of service (site-to-site VPN tunnel outage), and possibly intercept network traffic, by configuring the local RFC1918 IP address to be the same as one of this tunnel s endpoint RFC1918 IP addresses, and then using SecuRemote to connect to a network interface at the other endpoint.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/28/2024
The vulnerability described in CVE-2008-1397 represents a significant security flaw in Check Point VPN-1 Power/UTM and NG AI firewalls running specific software versions. This issue affects NGX R60 through R65 and NG AI R55 releases, creating a critical operational risk for organizations relying on site-to-site VPN connections. The flaw stems from improper handling of RFC1918 IP address space within the firewall's routing and tunnel management mechanisms, which can lead to both denial of service conditions and potential man-in-the-middle attack scenarios.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs when an authenticated remote attacker manipulates the firewall's configuration to assign the same RFC1918 IP address to both the local firewall interface and one of the VPN tunnel endpoints. This creates a routing conflict that fundamentally disrupts the VPN tunnel establishment and maintenance process. When SecuRemote clients attempt to connect to the network interface at the remote endpoint, the overlapping IP address space causes the firewall to incorrectly route traffic or fail to establish proper tunnel state management. The underlying issue is rooted in the firewall's inability to properly distinguish between local interface addresses and tunnel endpoint addresses when they share the same private IP space, creating a condition where the system cannot determine the correct path for network traffic.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability enables attackers to cause sustained denial of service conditions that can completely disable site-to-site VPN tunnels, effectively cutting off secure communications between network segments. The potential for traffic interception adds an additional layer of risk, as attackers could potentially eavesdrop on or manipulate network communications passing through the compromised tunnel. This vulnerability directly impacts the CIA triad by compromising both confidentiality and availability of network services, while potentially creating authentication bypass opportunities. The flaw is particularly dangerous because it requires only authenticated access to exploit, meaning that insiders or attackers who have gained legitimate credentials can leverage this issue to disrupt critical network infrastructure. Organizations using these firewall versions face the risk of extended downtime, data exposure, and potential regulatory compliance violations due to the disruption of secure network communications.
The mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on immediate configuration changes and long-term architectural improvements. Organizations must ensure that RFC1918 IP address spaces used for local interfaces do not overlap with those designated for VPN tunnel endpoints, implementing strict address space planning and segregation policies. Firewall administrators should consider implementing additional validation checks to prevent configuration conflicts before they are applied to active systems. Network segmentation strategies should be enhanced to ensure that local network interfaces operate on distinct IP ranges from VPN endpoint addresses. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-129 and CWE-131 categories related to input validation and buffer overflow conditions, while also mapping to ATT&CK techniques involving network denial of service and traffic interception. Regular security assessments and configuration audits should be implemented to prevent similar issues, with particular attention to address space allocation policies and firewall rule management procedures. The fix requires careful coordination between network administrators and security teams to ensure that remediation efforts do not inadvertently disrupt legitimate network operations while addressing the core routing conflict that enables this attack vector.