CVE-2014-7142 in Squid
Summary
by MITRE
The pinger in Squid 3.x before 3.4.8 allows remote attackers to obtain sensitive information or cause a denial of service (crash) via a crafted (1) ICMP or (2) ICMP6 packet size.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/27/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-7142 affects Squid proxy server versions 3.x prior to 3.4.8, specifically targeting the pinger component responsible for network connectivity testing. This flaw exists within the ICMP and ICMP6 packet processing mechanisms that Squid uses to verify network reachability and monitor server status. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and buffer handling when processing crafted ICMP or ICMP6 packets, creating a potential attack surface for remote threat actors seeking to exploit the proxy server's network monitoring functionality.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves improper handling of packet size parameters within the pinger module, which can lead to buffer overflows or other memory corruption issues when processing malformed ICMP or ICMP6 packets. Attackers can craft specific packet structures that exploit the lack of proper bounds checking in Squid's network monitoring code. This weakness allows for two primary attack vectors: information disclosure through memory leaks that occur during packet processing, and denial of service conditions that can crash the Squid process, effectively disrupting network services. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it operates at the network layer where the pinger component is designed to be highly accessible, making it an attractive target for remote exploitation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption, as it can enable attackers to extract sensitive information from the memory space of the Squid process, potentially including authentication tokens, session data, or other confidential information. The denial of service component can result in complete service unavailability, affecting all users relying on the proxy server for network access and potentially causing cascading failures in larger network infrastructures. Organizations using affected Squid versions may experience unauthorized data access, service interruptions, and potential compromise of their entire proxy infrastructure. This vulnerability particularly affects enterprise environments where Squid is commonly deployed as a caching proxy and firewall solution, making it a critical concern for network security teams managing large-scale deployments.
Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate patching to version 3.4.8 or later, which includes proper bounds checking and input validation for ICMP and ICMP6 packet processing. Organizations should also implement network segmentation to limit access to the Squid server's monitoring interfaces, deploy intrusion detection systems to monitor for crafted packet patterns, and conduct regular security assessments of proxy server configurations. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, heap-based buffer overflow, and CWE-122, stack-based buffer overflow, while also mapping to ATT&CK techniques involving privilege escalation and denial of service operations. Network administrators should consider implementing rate limiting on ICMP traffic and monitoring for unusual packet size patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. Regular security updates and vulnerability management processes should be enforced to prevent similar issues from arising in other network services and applications.