CVE-2015-7516 in ONOS
Summary
by MITRE
ONOS before 1.5.0 when using the ifwd app allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (NULL pointer dereference and switch disconnect) by sending two Ethernet frames with ether_type Jumbo Frame (0x8870).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/10/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-7516 affects the Open Network Operating System (ONOS) version 1.4.0 and earlier when utilizing the ifwd application. This represents a significant security flaw that can be exploited remotely to disrupt network operations through a denial of service attack. The vulnerability specifically targets the handling of Ethernet frames with the Jumbo Frame ether_type value of 0x8870, which is a legitimate frame type used for transmitting large packets beyond the standard Ethernet frame size limits.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the improper validation and handling of incoming Ethernet frames within the ifwd application's packet processing logic. When the system receives two consecutive Ethernet frames with the Jumbo Frame ether_type value, the application fails to properly validate the frame structure before attempting to process them. This leads to a NULL pointer dereference condition where the application attempts to access memory locations that have not been properly initialized or allocated. The NULL pointer dereference occurs because the frame processing code assumes certain data structures will be populated but receives unexpected frame formats that result in null references during critical operations.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it can cause complete disruption of network services through a simple remote attack. When the NULL pointer dereference occurs, the affected ONOS application crashes and subsequently disconnects the switch from the controller. This switch disconnection effectively removes the network device from the controller's management scope, leading to potential network outages and service disruptions. The attack requires only two specially crafted Ethernet frames with the specific ether_type value, making it relatively easy to exploit and highly effective in causing operational damage.
This vulnerability maps to CWE-476 which specifically addresses NULL pointer dereference conditions in software applications. The attack vector aligns with the ATT&CK technique T1499.004 which focuses on network disruption through denial of service attacks. The exploitation pattern demonstrates a classic buffer overflow or improper input validation attack where the system fails to properly handle edge cases in frame processing. The vulnerability also reflects poor defensive programming practices where the application does not implement proper error handling and input sanitization for network protocols.
The recommended mitigation strategy involves upgrading to ONOS version 1.5.0 or later where the vulnerability has been addressed through improved frame validation and error handling mechanisms. Organizations should also implement network monitoring to detect unusual frame patterns and establish proper input validation controls for all network protocols. Additionally, network segmentation and access controls should be implemented to limit exposure of vulnerable ONOS instances to untrusted network traffic. The fix typically involves adding proper null checks and validation routines before processing Ethernet frames with non-standard ether_type values, ensuring that the application gracefully handles malformed or unexpected input rather than crashing.