CVE-2014-4706 in Campus
Summary
by MITRE
Huawei Campus S3700HI with software V200R001C00SPC300; Campus S5700 with software V200R002C00SPC100; Campus S7700 with software V200R003C00SPC300,V200R003C00SPC500; LSW S9700 with software V200R001C00SPC300,V200R003C00SPC300,V200R003C00SPC500; S2350 with software V200R003C00SPC300; S2750 with software V200R003C00SPC300; S5300 with software V200R001C00SPC300,V200R002C00SPC100,V200R003C00SPC300; S5700 with software V200R001C00SPC300,V200R003C00SPC300; S6300 with software V200R001C00SPC300,V200R002C00SPC100,V200R003C00SPC300; S6700 S3300HI with software V200R001C00SPC300,V200R002C00SPC100,V200R003C00SPC300; S7700 with software V200R001C00SPC300; S9300 with software V200R001C00SPC300,V200R003C00SPC300,V200R003C00SPC500; S9300E with software V200R003C00SPC300,V200R003C00SPC500 allow attackers to keep sending malformed packets to cause a denial of service (DoS) attack, aka a heap overflow.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/24/2020
This vulnerability affects multiple Huawei network switching platforms including various models from the S3700HI, S5700, S7700, S9700, S2350, S2750, S5300, S6300, S6700, S3300HI, S9300, and S9300E series. The flaw manifests as a heap overflow condition that occurs when the affected devices receive malformed network packets. This vulnerability falls under the category of memory corruption issues and is classified as a denial of service attack vector. The heap overflow vulnerability represents a critical security weakness that can be exploited by remote attackers to disrupt network services and potentially compromise system stability. According to the Common Weakness Enumeration standard, this vulnerability maps to CWE-121, which describes heap-based buffer overflow conditions. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this as a Denial of Service technique under the T1499 sub-technique, specifically targeting network infrastructure components.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the processing of malformed packets that exceed expected buffer boundaries during packet parsing operations. When these malformed packets are received by the affected Huawei switches, the system's memory management routines fail to properly handle the oversized or malformed data structures, resulting in memory corruption within the heap memory region. This memory corruption leads to the system crashing or becoming unresponsive, thereby preventing legitimate network traffic from being processed. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it can be exploited remotely without requiring authentication, making it a significant threat to network availability and operational continuity. The heap overflow occurs during the normal packet processing flow, meaning that even routine network traffic could potentially trigger the vulnerability if the malformed packets are crafted correctly.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption to potentially compromise the entire network infrastructure. Organizations relying on these affected Huawei switches face the risk of network outages that could affect business operations, communication systems, and critical infrastructure dependencies. The vulnerability affects multiple generations of Huawei networking equipment, suggesting a widespread exposure across enterprise and campus network environments. Network administrators may experience unexpected downtime, service interruptions, and potential loss of network visibility during the attack window. The DoS condition can persist until the affected device is manually restarted or until a software patch is applied, creating extended periods of network unavailability that could have significant business implications. The vulnerability also poses challenges for network monitoring and incident response teams who must identify and isolate affected devices during an attack.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should include immediate implementation of network segmentation and access controls to limit the attack surface. Organizations should deploy network intrusion detection systems to monitor for malformed packet traffic patterns that could indicate exploitation attempts. The most effective long-term solution involves applying the official Huawei security patches and firmware updates that address the heap overflow condition in the affected software versions. Network administrators should also implement rate limiting and packet filtering rules to reduce the impact of malformed packet flooding attacks. Regular vulnerability assessments and network configuration reviews are essential to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities across the network infrastructure. The security community recommends maintaining updated network device inventories and implementing robust patch management procedures to prevent exploitation of known vulnerabilities like CVE-2014-4706. Additionally, organizations should consider network monitoring solutions that can detect anomalous traffic patterns and automatically isolate affected network segments to prevent lateral movement of attack vectors.