CVE-2014-2285 in net-snmp
Summary
by MITRE
The perl_trapd_handler function in perl/TrapReceiver/TrapReceiver.xs in Net-SNMP 5.7.3.pre3 and earlier, when using certain Perl versions, allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (snmptrapd crash) via an empty community string in an SNMP trap, which triggers a NULL pointer dereference within the newSVpv function in Perl.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/12/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-2285 represents a critical denial of service flaw within the Net-SNMP trap receiver component that affects versions 5.7.3.pre3 and earlier. This issue specifically targets the perl_trapd_handler function located in the perl/TrapReceiver/TrapReceiver.xs file, which serves as the Perl interface for handling SNMP trap messages. The vulnerability arises from improper input validation when processing SNMP trap messages that contain empty community strings, creating a scenario where the application fails to handle malformed input gracefully and instead crashes during processing.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability stems from a NULL pointer dereference condition that occurs within the newSVpv function in Perl's internal string handling mechanisms. When an SNMP trap is received with an empty community string, the perl_trapd_handler function fails to properly validate the input before attempting to process it through Perl's string creation functions. This flaw demonstrates characteristics consistent with CWE-476, which describes NULL pointer dereference vulnerabilities, and represents a classic example of improper input validation leading to application instability. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it operates at the intersection of SNMP trap handling and Perl's memory management, where the combination of these components creates a crash condition that terminates the snmptrapd process.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption as it provides remote attackers with a reliable method to cause denial of service against SNMP trap receiving systems. Since snmptrapd is commonly deployed in network monitoring and management environments, compromising this service can lead to significant operational consequences including loss of network visibility, disruption of alerting systems, and potential compromise of network security monitoring capabilities. The vulnerability is exploitable over the network without requiring authentication, making it particularly dangerous in environments where SNMP trap receivers are exposed to untrusted networks. This aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.004, which describes network disruption attacks, and demonstrates how seemingly benign protocol handling can be weaponized for service availability attacks.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on immediate patching of affected Net-SNMP versions to 5.7.3.pre4 or later, which contains the necessary code modifications to properly validate community strings before processing. Organizations should also implement network segmentation to limit exposure of SNMP trap receivers to untrusted networks and consider deploying additional monitoring to detect unusual snmptrapd crash patterns. The fix implemented in the patched versions addresses the core issue by adding proper input validation checks before invoking Perl's string handling functions, preventing the NULL pointer dereference condition that previously caused the application to crash. Additionally, system administrators should review their SNMP trap receiver configurations to ensure that community string validation is properly implemented at multiple layers of the network infrastructure to provide defense in depth against similar vulnerabilities.