CVE-2016-1987 in HP-UX
Summary
by MITRE
HPE IPFilter A.11.31.18.21 on HP-UX, when a certain keep-state configuration is enabled, allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service via unspecified UDP packets.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/11/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-1987 affects HPE IPFilter version A.11.31.18.21 running on HP-UX operating systems. This issue specifically manifests when certain keep-state configuration parameters are enabled within the IPFilter firewall implementation. The flaw represents a critical denial of service vulnerability that can be exploited remotely by attackers sending carefully crafted UDP packets to the affected system. The vulnerability resides in the packet processing logic of the IPFilter component, which fails to properly handle specific UDP packet structures when state tracking is enabled, leading to system instability and potential service disruption.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and error handling within the IPFilter packet processing engine. When the keep-state functionality is enabled, the system maintains connection tracking information for network flows, but fails to properly validate UDP packet headers and payload structures. This allows malicious actors to construct UDP packets that trigger memory corruption or resource exhaustion conditions within the IPFilter kernel module. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-121 as a buffer overflow condition, where improper handling of packet data leads to system instability. The flaw specifically impacts the state management subsystem of IPFilter, which is designed to track and maintain connection state information for network traffic.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risk to organizations relying on HP-UX systems with IPFilter configured for stateful packet inspection. Remote attackers can exploit this weakness without requiring authentication credentials, making it particularly dangerous in network environments where external access is permitted. The denial of service impact can result in complete system unavailability, requiring manual intervention and system reboot to restore normal operations. The vulnerability affects systems where the keep-state feature is enabled, which is a common configuration for security-conscious environments that require connection tracking. Attackers can leverage this weakness to disrupt network services, potentially causing cascading failures in mission-critical infrastructure. The attack vector is classified as remote network-based, with no local privileges required for exploitation.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2016-1987 should prioritize immediate patching of affected systems with the vendor-supplied security updates. Organizations should disable the keep-state functionality in IPFilter configuration as a temporary workaround while permanent fixes are deployed. Network administrators should implement additional monitoring and alerting mechanisms to detect unusual packet patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. The recommended approach follows ATT&CK technique T1499.004 for network denial of service attacks, where defensive measures focus on preventing exploitation through configuration hardening. System administrators should also consider implementing rate limiting and packet filtering rules to reduce the impact of potential attacks. Long-term security posture improvement requires regular security assessments and vulnerability management processes to identify and remediate similar weaknesses in network security components. The vulnerability highlights the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches for network infrastructure components and demonstrates the critical nature of proper input validation in kernel-level network processing modules.