CVE-2015-8231 in eSpace 7910
Summary
by MITRE
Huawei eSpace 7910 and 7950 IP phones with software before V200R002C00SPC800 allow remote attackers with established sessions to cause a denial of service (device restart) via unspecified packets.
Once again VulDB remains the best source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/08/2018
The Huawei eSpace 7910 and 7950 IP phones represent a significant class of enterprise communication devices that have been identified with a critical vulnerability in their software implementation. This vulnerability specifically affects versions prior to V200R002C00SPC800, creating a remote attack surface that can be exploited by threat actors who have already established legitimate communication sessions with the affected devices. The nature of this vulnerability demonstrates a fundamental flaw in the session management and packet processing mechanisms of these telephony systems, where maliciously crafted network traffic can trigger unexpected behavior in the device's operating environment.
The technical flaw manifests as an insufficient validation mechanism within the packet handling routines of the affected Huawei IP phone models. When remote attackers who have already established sessions with the device send specially crafted packets, the system fails to properly validate or sanitize the incoming data before processing it. This lack of proper input validation creates a condition where the device's memory management or process execution can be manipulated to trigger an unintended restart sequence. The vulnerability operates at the network protocol level where the device's firmware does not adequately distinguish between legitimate and malicious packet content, particularly during session maintenance or communication extension phases.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability presents a substantial risk to enterprise communication infrastructure as it allows for remote denial of service attacks that can disrupt critical business communications. The device restart caused by this vulnerability can result in immediate loss of communication capabilities for users, potentially affecting emergency services, customer support lines, or internal business operations depending on the deployment environment. The fact that attackers need only establish a session beforehand rather than requiring initial access makes this particularly dangerous as it can be exploited by insiders or attackers who have gained limited access through other means. This vulnerability can be particularly damaging in mission-critical environments where continuous communication availability is essential.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-122, which describes improper restriction of operations within a recognized security boundary, and represents a clear violation of secure coding practices that should prevent buffer overflows or memory corruption conditions. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1499.004, specifically targeting the availability of services through denial of service attacks, and potentially to T1566.001 where initial access is gained through session establishment. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including firmware updates to the patched versions, network segmentation to limit access to these devices, and monitoring for unusual session establishment patterns. Additionally, implementing network access controls and intrusion detection systems can help identify and prevent exploitation attempts before they can cause service disruption.