CVE-2010-4251 in Linux
Summary
by MITRE
The socket implementation in net/core/sock.c in the Linux kernel before 2.6.34 does not properly manage a backlog of received packets, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (memory consumption) by sending a large amount of network traffic, as demonstrated by netperf UDP tests.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/07/2021
The vulnerability described in CVE-2010-4251 represents a critical flaw in the Linux kernel's network stack implementation that affects systems running kernel versions prior to 2.6.34. This issue resides within the socket subsystem at net/core/sock.c where the kernel fails to properly manage the packet backlog queue for network connections. The flaw specifically manifests when the kernel receives an excessive volume of network traffic, particularly in UDP scenarios, leading to uncontrolled memory consumption that can ultimately result in system resource exhaustion and denial of service conditions.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability stems from inadequate handling of socket receive buffers and packet queuing mechanisms within the kernel's networking layer. When remote attackers flood a target system with large volumes of network packets, the kernel's socket implementation fails to properly limit or manage the backlog of received packets that accumulate in memory queues. This improper management allows the packet backlog to grow indefinitely, consuming available system memory resources without proper bounds or cleanup mechanisms. The vulnerability is particularly exploitable through UDP traffic as demonstrated by netperf testing scenarios, where attackers can saturate the system's network buffers and cause memory exhaustion.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a significant risk to network infrastructure and service availability. Systems utilizing affected kernel versions become susceptible to memory exhaustion attacks that can render services unavailable to legitimate users. The impact extends beyond simple service disruption as the memory consumption can lead to system instability, potential crashes, or complete system hangs. Organizations running servers, network appliances, or any Linux-based systems that handle substantial network traffic are particularly vulnerable, as attackers can leverage this flaw to consume system resources without requiring elevated privileges or complex exploitation techniques.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-400, which catalogs "Uncontrolled Resource Consumption" as a common weakness in software systems. This classification reflects the fundamental issue where the system fails to properly control or limit resource usage, allowing malicious actors to exhaust available memory through network traffic. Additionally, the attack pattern corresponds to techniques outlined in the ATT&CK framework under the T1499.004 sub-technique for "Network Denial of Service" where adversaries target network resources to disrupt service availability. The attack vector specifically maps to T1071.004 for "Application Layer Protocol: DNS" and T1071.001 for "Application Layer Protocol: Web Protocols" when these protocols are used to amplify the memory consumption attacks. Organizations should implement immediate mitigation strategies including kernel updates to versions 2.6.34 or later, network traffic rate limiting, and monitoring for unusual memory consumption patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should prioritize kernel version upgrades to 2.6.34 or higher where the socket backlog management has been properly addressed. System administrators should also implement network-level controls such as traffic shaping and rate limiting to prevent excessive packet flooding. Additionally, monitoring solutions should be deployed to track memory usage patterns and detect anomalous network traffic that could indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper resource management in kernel-level implementations and highlights the need for comprehensive testing and validation of network stack components to prevent similar issues from arising in future system deployments.