CVE-2014-2037 in Openswan
Summary
by MITRE
Openswan 2.6.40 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (NULL pointer dereference and IKE daemon restart) via IKEv2 packets that lack expected payloads. NOTE: this vulnerability exists because of an incomplete fix for CVE 2013-6466.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/02/2018
The vulnerability described in CVE-2014-2037 represents a significant denial of service weakness within the Openswan IPsec implementation that affects version 2.6.40. This issue specifically targets the IKE daemon responsible for managing Internet Key Exchange protocol version 2 communications, creating a scenario where remote attackers can deliberately trigger system instability through carefully crafted malformed IKEv2 packets. The vulnerability stems from an incomplete remediation of a previous flaw identified as CVE-2013-6466, demonstrating how security fixes can sometimes introduce new attack vectors if not thoroughly validated. The root cause lies in the IKE daemon's failure to properly handle IKEv2 packets that lack expected payload structures, leading to a null pointer dereference condition that ultimately forces the daemon to restart.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability exploits the IKE daemon's inadequate input validation mechanisms when processing IKEv2 protocol messages. When the daemon receives packets that do not contain the expected payload components, the code path fails to properly check for null pointer references before attempting to access memory locations. This particular flaw manifests as a NULL pointer dereference error that causes the IKE daemon process to crash and automatically restart, effectively creating a denial of service condition. The vulnerability operates at the protocol level within the IPsec framework, specifically targeting the IKEv2 exchange mechanisms that are fundamental to establishing secure communication channels between network entities. According to CWE classification, this represents a CWE-476: NULL Pointer Dereference vulnerability, which is a common pattern in software security where applications fail to properly validate pointer values before dereferencing them.
The operational impact of CVE-2014-2037 extends beyond simple service disruption, as it can be leveraged by remote attackers to systematically degrade network security infrastructure. When exploited, the vulnerability allows unauthorized parties to repeatedly cause IKE daemon restarts, potentially leading to extended periods of network connectivity disruption that can affect critical communications. The restart behavior creates a cascading effect where legitimate users may experience intermittent connection failures, and in high-availability environments, this could trigger unnecessary failover operations. From an attacker perspective, this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.004: Endpoint Denial of Service, which focuses on causing service unavailability through targeted exploitation of system components. The vulnerability's remote nature means that attackers do not require physical access or local privileges to exploit the weakness, making it particularly dangerous in networked environments where IPsec services are exposed to external traffic.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2014-2037 should focus on implementing proper input validation and error handling within the IKE daemon implementation. Organizations should prioritize updating to patched versions of Openswan that contain complete fixes for both CVE-2013-6466 and CVE-2014-2037, as the incomplete nature of the original fix demonstrates the importance of comprehensive vulnerability remediation. Network administrators should also consider implementing firewall rules that limit exposure of IKEv2 ports to trusted networks only, reducing the attack surface available to remote adversaries. Additionally, monitoring systems should be configured to detect frequent IKE daemon restarts that could indicate exploitation attempts, providing early warning capabilities for potential attacks. The vulnerability highlights the critical importance of thorough regression testing when applying security patches, as the incomplete fix for the previous vulnerability created this new attack surface. Organizations should also implement proper access control measures to ensure that only authorized entities can initiate IKEv2 exchanges, reducing the likelihood of successful exploitation through network-based attacks.