CVE-2013-6170 in Junos
Summary
by MITRE
Juniper Junos 10.0 before 10.0S28, 10.4 before 10.4R7, 11.1 before 11.1R5, 11.2 before 11.2R2, and 11.4 before 11.4R1, when in a Next-Generation Multicast VPN (NGEN MVPN) environment, allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (RPD routing daemon crash) via a large number of crafted PIM (S,G) join requests.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/23/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2013-6170 affects Juniper Junos operating system versions prior to specific security patches, particularly within Next-Generation Multicast VPN environments. This issue manifests when the Routing Daemon (RPD) processes a large volume of crafted Protocol Independent Multicast (PIM) (S,G) join requests, leading to system instability and potential denial of service conditions. The vulnerability specifically targets devices configured with NGEN MVPN functionality, making it particularly concerning for network infrastructure that relies on multicast routing protocols for efficient traffic distribution. The affected versions include Junos 10.0 before 10.0S28, 10.4 before 10.4R7, 11.1 before 11.1R5, 11.2 before 11.2R2, and 11.4 before 11.4R1, indicating a broad range of deployments that could be impacted across multiple release branches.
The technical flaw stems from insufficient input validation within the RPD routing daemon when processing PIM (S,G) join messages. These multicast join requests contain specific parameters that, when crafted in excessive quantities, trigger memory corruption or buffer overflow conditions within the routing daemon's processing logic. The vulnerability operates at the network protocol level where PIM (S,G) join messages are used to establish multicast forwarding paths between sources and receivers. When the RPD daemon receives these malformed or excessively frequent join requests, it fails to properly handle the message processing, leading to a crash of the routing daemon service. This behavior aligns with CWE-121, which describes heap-based buffer overflow conditions, and represents a classic example of insufficient validation of input data that can be exploited to cause system instability.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption as it can affect critical network infrastructure components that rely on multicast routing for efficient data distribution. Network administrators may experience unexpected routing daemon crashes, leading to temporary loss of multicast connectivity and potential service degradation for applications that depend on multicast communication. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous in production environments where network stability is paramount, as the denial of service condition can propagate through the network infrastructure and affect multiple services simultaneously. This type of vulnerability can be exploited by remote attackers without authentication, making it especially concerning for publicly accessible network devices that handle multicast traffic from external sources. The vulnerability also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.002, which describes network denial of service attacks targeting network infrastructure components.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2013-6170 require immediate implementation of security updates provided by Juniper to patch the affected versions of the Junos operating system. Organizations should prioritize upgrading all affected devices to versions that contain the appropriate security fixes, particularly focusing on those running NGEN MVPN configurations. Network administrators should also implement monitoring solutions to detect unusual patterns of PIM (S,G) join requests that could indicate exploitation attempts, as well as establish network segmentation strategies to limit the potential impact of such attacks. Additional protective measures include configuring rate limiting on multicast routing protocol messages and implementing intrusion detection systems capable of identifying malformed PIM traffic patterns. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper input validation in network daemon processes and highlights the need for comprehensive security testing of routing protocols to prevent similar issues in the future, particularly in environments where multicast routing is extensively used for content distribution and network optimization.