CVE-2012-4517 in ibacm
Summary
by MITRE
ibacm before 1.0.6 does not properly manage reference counts for multicast connections, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (ibacm service crash) via a crafted join response.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/19/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2012-4517 affects the InfiniBand Access Control Manager (ibacm) service version 1.0.5 and earlier, representing a critical flaw in the management of multicast connection reference counting mechanisms. This issue resides within the InfiniBand communication infrastructure that facilitates high-performance computing environments and data center networks. The ibacm service operates as a daemon responsible for managing InfiniBand access control and connection management, particularly for multicast communications that are essential for distributed computing workloads. The vulnerability manifests when the service fails to properly maintain reference counts for multicast connections, creating a scenario where the system can become unstable under specific network conditions.
The technical flaw stems from improper handling of reference counting logic within the multicast connection management subsystem of ibacm. When a remote attacker crafts a specific join response packet, the service processes this malformed data without adequate validation of connection reference states. This results in a race condition or memory management error where the reference counter becomes inconsistent, potentially leading to null pointer dereferences or memory corruption. The vulnerability is classified as a weakness in resource management according to CWE-404, specifically involving improper handling of reference counts and resource lifecycle management. The flaw operates at the network protocol level where the ibacm service processes InfiniBand multicast join responses, making it particularly dangerous in high-throughput computing environments where such multicast communications are frequent.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption to potentially compromise entire computing clusters and data center operations. When the ibacm service crashes due to this reference counting issue, it affects all multicast communication within the InfiniBand fabric, potentially causing cascading failures across distributed applications that depend on reliable multicast messaging. The denial of service condition can persist until manual intervention occurs, requiring system administrators to restart the ibacm service or reboot affected nodes. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.004 for network denial of service and represents a significant threat to high-performance computing environments where service availability is critical. The impact is particularly severe in large-scale data center deployments where ibacm manages thousands of multicast connections simultaneously, as a single malicious packet can trigger widespread service degradation.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2012-4517 focus on immediate software updates and network-level protections. The primary solution involves upgrading to ibacm version 1.0.6 or later, which includes proper reference counting implementation and validation of multicast join responses. Organizations should implement network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure to untrusted network segments that could deliver malicious join responses. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual multicast traffic patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper resource management in network services and aligns with security best practices outlined in NIST SP 800-53 for resource management and system integrity controls. Additionally, implementing intrusion detection systems capable of identifying malformed InfiniBand multicast packets can provide early warning of potential exploitation attempts, while regular security assessments of network infrastructure components help identify similar resource management flaws in other services.