CVE-2008-6497 in Neostrada Livebox ADSL Router
Summary
by MITRE
The Neostrada Livebox ADSL Router allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (network outage) via multiple HTTP requests for the /- URI.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/17/2024
The CVE-2008-6497 vulnerability affects the Neostrada Livebox ADSL Router, representing a significant security flaw that enables remote attackers to induce network outages through carefully crafted HTTP requests. This vulnerability resides within the router's web interface handling mechanism, specifically targeting the /- URI endpoint which serves as a critical access point for administrative functions. The flaw demonstrates a classic lack of proper input validation and resource management within the router's HTTP server implementation.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when attackers send multiple HTTP requests to the /- URI, which triggers an unhandled condition in the router's processing logic. This condition results in the router's web server becoming unresponsive or crashing entirely, thereby causing a complete denial of service for network users. The vulnerability stems from inadequate request handling mechanisms that fail to properly manage concurrent connections or validate request parameters before processing. This represents a weakness in the router's defensive programming practices and highlights the importance of robust error handling in network infrastructure devices.
From an operational standpoint, this vulnerability poses a severe risk to network availability and reliability, particularly for residential and small office environments where the Livebox router serves as the primary gateway. The remote nature of the attack means that adversaries can exploit this flaw from anywhere on the internet without requiring physical access or local network credentials. Network administrators face the challenge of maintaining service availability while the vulnerability remains unpatched, potentially leading to extended outages that disrupt business operations, internet connectivity, and critical communication services for affected users.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-400, which covers "Uncontrolled Resource Consumption," as the router's resources become exhausted through the repeated HTTP requests targeting the vulnerable URI. It also relates to CWE-20, "Improper Input Validation," since the router fails to properly validate the incoming HTTP requests before processing them. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1499.004, "Endpoint Denial of Service," and potentially T1566.001, "Phishing," if attackers use social engineering to encourage victims to trigger the vulnerability. The attack surface is particularly concerning because it requires no authentication and can be executed from any location with internet access, making it an attractive target for both opportunistic attackers and those with malicious intent.
Effective mitigation strategies should include immediate firmware updates from the manufacturer, network segmentation to isolate vulnerable devices, and implementation of intrusion detection systems to monitor for suspicious HTTP traffic patterns. Additionally, network administrators should consider disabling unnecessary web management interfaces when not actively required, and implement rate limiting mechanisms to prevent the exploitation of similar resource exhaustion vulnerabilities. The vulnerability underscores the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date firmware and conducting regular security assessments of network infrastructure devices to prevent exploitation of known weaknesses.