CVE-2008-5230 in IOS
Summary
by MITRE
The Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP) implementation in unspecified Cisco products and other vendors products, as used in WPA and WPA2 on Wi-Fi networks, has insufficient countermeasures against certain crafted and replayed packets, which makes it easier for remote attackers to decrypt packets from an access point (AP) to a client and spoof packets from an AP to a client, and conduct ARP poisoning attacks or other attacks, as demonstrated by tkiptun-ng.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/02/2017
The vulnerability described in CVE-2008-5230 represents a critical weakness in the Temporal Key Integrity Protocol implementation across multiple wireless networking vendors including Cisco products. This flaw specifically affects Wi-Fi networks utilizing WPA and WPA2 security protocols, which were designed to provide enhanced protection over the older WEP standard. The vulnerability stems from inadequate countermeasures against crafted and replayed packets that can be strategically manipulated by remote attackers to exploit weaknesses in the TKIP encryption mechanism.
The technical nature of this vulnerability lies in the insufficient protection mechanisms within TKIP that fail to properly validate packet sequence numbers and counters, which are essential for maintaining the integrity of wireless communications. Attackers can leverage this weakness to perform packet replay attacks where they capture legitimate frames and replay them at a later time to confuse the encryption system. The flaw allows for the decryption of packets transmitted from access points to wireless clients, effectively breaking the confidentiality assurances that WPA/WPA2 protocols are supposed to provide. Additionally, the vulnerability enables packet spoofing capabilities that permit attackers to forge packets originating from legitimate access points, creating a false sense of network authenticity.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception to enable sophisticated attacks including ARP poisoning operations that can disrupt network communications and potentially allow for man-in-the-middle attacks. The tkiptun-ng tool demonstration referenced in the CVE description illustrates how attackers can exploit this weakness to perform real-time packet manipulation and network disruption. This vulnerability essentially undermines the fundamental security assumptions of WPA/WPA2 implementations, making it easier for attackers to gain unauthorized access to wireless networks and potentially escalate their privileges within the network infrastructure. The implications are particularly severe for enterprise environments where wireless networks serve as primary communication channels and where the compromise of WPA/WPA2 security can lead to widespread network infiltration.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability include immediate deployment of firmware updates from affected vendors, which typically involve implementing stronger sequence number validation and countermeasures against replay attacks. Organizations should consider transitioning from WPA/WPA2 to more secure protocols such as WPA3 where available, or implementing additional network segmentation measures to limit the impact of potential exploitation. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-310, which addresses cryptographic weaknesses in key management and validation processes, and corresponds to ATT&CK techniques related to network sniffing, credential access, and privilege escalation through wireless network exploitation. Security teams should also implement continuous monitoring of wireless network traffic for signs of replay attacks and unauthorized packet manipulation to detect potential exploitation attempts.