CVE-2013-7312 in S140
Summary
by MITRE
The OSPF implementation on Enterasys switches and routers does not consider the possibility of duplicate Link State ID values in Link State Advertisement (LSA) packets before performing operations on the LSA database, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (routing disruption) or obtain sensitive packet information via a crafted LSA packet, a related issue to CVE-2013-0149.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/18/2024
The vulnerability described in CVE-2013-7312 represents a critical flaw in the Open Shortest Path First routing protocol implementation within Enterasys network infrastructure devices. This issue specifically affects the handling of Link State Advertisement packets within the OSPF database management system, where the software fails to properly validate the uniqueness of Link State IDs before processing incoming routing information. The flaw exists in the protocol parsing logic that governs how routers and switches manage their routing tables and maintain network topology awareness through OSPF communications.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation mechanisms within the OSPF implementation. When an attacker crafts malicious LSA packets containing duplicate Link State ID values, the affected Enterasys devices process these packets without proper verification of the ID uniqueness constraint that OSPF protocol standards require. This oversight creates a condition where the routing database becomes corrupted or destabilized, leading to unpredictable behavior in the network's routing decisions. The vulnerability operates at the network layer of the OSI model, specifically within the routing protocol implementation where the OSPF daemon handles packet processing and database updates.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risks to network stability and availability. Remote attackers can exploit this weakness to cause denial of service conditions by injecting crafted LSA packets that trigger routing table corruption, resulting in complete routing disruption across affected network segments. Additionally, the flaw may allow information disclosure attacks where sensitive routing information becomes accessible through malformed packet processing. The impact extends beyond simple service interruption as network convergence times may increase dramatically, potentially leading to extended network outages while the routing protocols attempt to stabilize. This vulnerability particularly affects enterprise networks relying on Enterasys infrastructure where OSPF is used for internal routing protocols, creating potential for widespread service disruption.
The mitigation strategies for CVE-2013-7312 should include immediate deployment of vendor security patches and firmware updates that address the duplicate ID validation issue in the OSPF implementation. Network administrators should implement additional monitoring and intrusion detection systems to identify suspicious LSA packet patterns and unauthorized routing updates. Configuration changes may include enabling strict OSPF packet validation and implementing rate limiting for LSA updates to prevent rapid injection of malicious packets. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-129, which covers improper validation of input, and relates to ATT&CK technique T1562.001 for "Impairing Availability" through denial of service attacks. Organizations should also consider network segmentation and access control measures to limit the attack surface and reduce the potential impact of such exploitation attempts.
This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper input validation in network protocol implementations and highlights the potential for seemingly minor protocol parsing flaws to result in significant security and availability impacts. The issue reflects common weaknesses in network device firmware development where protocol compliance testing may not adequately address edge cases in packet processing, particularly when dealing with malformed or intentionally crafted network traffic. Network security teams must prioritize updating affected devices and implementing comprehensive monitoring to detect exploitation attempts and maintain network integrity during the remediation process.