CVE-2015-6574 in MMS-EASE
Summary
by MITRE
The SNAP Lite component in certain SISCO MMS-EASE and AX-S4 ICCP products allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (CPU consumption) via a crafted packet.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/09/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-6574 affects the SNAP Lite component within SISCO MMS-EASE and AX-S4 ICCP products, representing a significant security weakness that enables remote attackers to execute denial of service attacks through carefully crafted network packets. This flaw resides in industrial communication systems that are critical for operational technology environments, where reliability and continuous operation are paramount for mission-critical infrastructure. The affected products are commonly deployed in power grid automation, industrial control systems, and other environments where real-time communication protocols must maintain consistent performance. The vulnerability specifically targets the SNAP Lite component, which serves as a communication interface layer responsible for processing and handling network traffic in these industrial protocol implementations. This component's failure to properly validate incoming packet structures creates an exploitable condition that can be leveraged by malicious actors to consume excessive CPU resources.
The technical mechanism behind this vulnerability involves the improper handling of malformed or specially constructed packets that are designed to trigger resource exhaustion within the SNAP Lite processing engine. When the system receives these crafted packets, the parsing logic fails to adequately validate packet contents, leading to inefficient processing loops or resource allocation patterns that consume disproportionate amounts of CPU cycles. This behavior manifests as sustained high CPU utilization that can effectively render the affected system unresponsive to legitimate traffic or operational commands. The flaw demonstrates characteristics consistent with CWE-400, which addresses "Uncontrolled Resource Consumption," and potentially aligns with CWE-122, "Heap-based Buffer Overflow," if the packet processing involves memory allocation issues. The attack vector is particularly concerning as it requires only network access to exploit, making it accessible to remote attackers who may not need physical presence or elevated privileges within the target environment. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple service disruption as it can compromise the availability of critical industrial processes that depend on these communication systems.
From an operational perspective, the consequences of exploiting CVE-2015-6574 can be severe for organizations relying on these industrial systems, particularly those in critical infrastructure sectors such as energy, water treatment, and manufacturing. The sustained CPU consumption can lead to cascading failures where legitimate operations are disrupted, potentially causing production halts, safety system degradation, or complete system outages. The attack scenario typically involves an attacker sending a series of malformed packets designed to trigger the resource exhaustion condition, which can be maintained for extended periods without requiring additional authentication or privileges. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous in environments where monitoring systems may not immediately detect the subtle signs of resource exhaustion that precede complete system failure. The vulnerability's impact aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.004, "Endpoint Denial of Service," which specifically addresses attacks targeting system resources to prevent normal operations. Organizations using these products face significant risk of operational disruption, potentially leading to financial losses, regulatory compliance issues, and safety concerns in environments where continuous operation is essential. The vulnerability also highlights the broader challenge of securing industrial control systems where legacy protocols and components may not have been designed with modern security considerations in mind.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2015-6574 should focus on both immediate defensive measures and longer-term architectural improvements to protect industrial communication systems. Network segmentation and access controls should be implemented to limit exposure of affected systems to untrusted networks, while intrusion detection systems can be configured to monitor for suspicious packet patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. Device firmware updates from SISCO should be applied as soon as available to address the underlying implementation flaw in the SNAP Lite component, though organizations should verify that updates do not introduce compatibility issues with existing operational procedures. Additionally, implementing rate limiting mechanisms and packet filtering rules can help reduce the impact of potential attacks by limiting the volume of traffic that can be processed by the vulnerable component. Organizations should also consider deploying redundant communication paths and implementing monitoring solutions that can detect unusual CPU utilization patterns as early warning indicators of potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the importance of conducting regular security assessments of industrial control systems and maintaining up-to-date threat intelligence to identify and address similar weaknesses in operational technology environments.