CVE-2016-8785 in S12700
Summary
by MITRE
Huawei S12700 V200R007C00, V200R008C00, S5700 V200R007C00, S7700 V200R002C00, V200R005C00, V200R006C00, V200R007C00, V200R008C00, S9700 V200R007C00 have an input validation vulnerability. Due to the lack of input validation, an attacker may craft a malformed packet and send it to the device using VRP, causing the device to display additional memory data and possibly leading to sensitive information leakage.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/17/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-8785 affects multiple Huawei network switches including the S12700, S5700, S7700, and S9700 series running specific versions of the Huawei Versatile Routing Platform. This input validation flaw represents a critical security weakness that stems from inadequate packet processing mechanisms within the VRP software framework. The vulnerability manifests when devices receive malformed network packets that bypass normal input validation checks, creating opportunities for attackers to exploit the system's memory handling processes.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability resides in the insufficient sanitization of input data within the network device's packet processing pipeline. When malformed packets are transmitted to affected Huawei switches, the system fails to properly validate the incoming data structures, allowing crafted payloads to trigger unexpected memory access patterns. This weakness falls under the CWE-20 category of "Improper Input Validation" and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for "Command and Scripting Interpreter: Python" and T1566.001 for "Phishing: Spearphishing Attachment" as attackers can leverage this vulnerability to extract sensitive information from device memory.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it provides attackers with access to potentially sensitive data stored in the device's memory regions. This includes but is not limited to configuration details, authentication credentials, network topology information, and other confidential operational data that could be used to further compromise the network infrastructure. The vulnerability's exploitation capability allows for passive information gathering that could enable more sophisticated attacks such as privilege escalation or lateral movement within the network environment.
Security practitioners should implement immediate mitigations including firmware updates to the latest available versions that address the input validation deficiencies in the VRP software. Network segmentation and access control measures should be strengthened to limit potential attack vectors, while monitoring systems should be enhanced to detect anomalous packet patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability's classification as a memory disclosure issue makes it particularly concerning for environments where network devices store or process sensitive information, as it could lead to complete compromise of network security infrastructure. Organizations should also consider implementing network intrusion detection systems specifically tuned to identify malformed packet patterns that could indicate exploitation attempts against this vulnerability.