CVE-2010-2523 in UMIP
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple buffer overflows in ha.c in the mipv6 daemon in UMIP 0.4 allow remote attackers to have an unspecified impact via a crafted (1) ND_OPT_PREFIX_INFORMATION or (2) ND_OPT_HOME_AGENT_INFO packet.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/20/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2010-2523 represents a critical security flaw within the mipv6 daemon implementation of UMIP 0.4, specifically targeting the ha.c file responsible for handling mobile IPv6 home agent functionality. This buffer overflow vulnerability exists in the processing of Neighbor Discovery Protocol packets, particularly when handling two distinct option types that are fundamental to mobile IPv6 communication. The flaw manifests when the daemon receives specially crafted packets containing either ND_OPT_PREFIX_INFORMATION or ND_OPT_HOME_AGENT_INFO options, which are standard components of IPv6 neighbor discovery mechanisms used for mobile node registration and home agent coordination.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and bounds checking within the ha.c source code module. When processing incoming Neighbor Discovery packets, the mipv6 daemon fails to properly validate the length and content of the option data fields, allowing attackers to craft malicious packets that exceed the allocated buffer space. This improper handling creates a classic buffer overflow condition where attacker-controlled data can overwrite adjacent memory locations, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution, service disruption, or system compromise. The vulnerability affects the daemon's ability to process legitimate mobile IPv6 registration messages while simultaneously creating opportunities for malicious exploitation.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risk to networks relying on mobile IPv6 implementations, particularly those using UMIP 0.4 as their mobile IP stack. The remote attack vector means that adversaries can exploit this flaw without requiring local access or authentication, making it particularly dangerous in network environments where mobile IPv6 is deployed. The unspecified impact mentioned in the CVE description suggests that exploitation could result in various outcomes including denial of service, privilege escalation, or complete system compromise depending on the specific memory corruption patterns and system configurations. Network administrators face the challenge of defending against attacks that can originate from any location capable of sending crafted IPv6 packets to the affected daemon.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, which describes stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and represents a clear violation of secure coding practices that should prevent buffer overflows through proper input validation and bounds checking. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving remote code execution through protocol manipulation and network-based attacks that leverage weaknesses in network stack implementations. Organizations implementing mobile IPv6 solutions should prioritize immediate remediation through software updates or patches provided by the UMIP maintainers, while also considering network segmentation and intrusion detection measures to monitor for exploitation attempts. The vulnerability underscores the critical importance of thorough security testing for network protocol implementations and demonstrates how seemingly minor input validation gaps can create significant security risks in mobile networking environments.