CVE-2017-1000357 in OpenDaylight
Summary
by MITRE
Denial of Service attack when the switch rejects to receive packets from the controller. Component: This vulnerability affects OpenDaylight odl-l2switch-switch, which is the feature responsible for the OpenFlow communication. Version: OpenDaylight versions 3.3 and 4.0 are affected by this flaw. Java version is openjdk version 1.8.0_91.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/20/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-1000357 represents a critical denial of service flaw within the OpenDaylight software platform, specifically impacting the odl-l2switch-switch component responsible for OpenFlow communication protocols. This vulnerability manifests when network switches reject packet reception from the controller, creating a cascading failure condition that can bring entire network operations to a halt. The affected versions include OpenDaylight releases 3.3 and 4.0, running on OpenJDK version 1.8.0_91, indicating a widespread impact across multiple platform iterations. The flaw operates at the core of software-defined networking infrastructure where controller-switch communication is fundamental to network operation.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate error handling within the OpenFlow communication stack of the l2switch-switch feature. When a switch encounters a condition where it cannot receive packets from the controller, the system fails to properly manage this exceptional state, leading to a complete service disruption rather than graceful degradation or recovery mechanisms. This represents a classic example of poor exception handling and state management within network infrastructure software, where the failure to account for normal operational conditions creates a path for complete system failure. The vulnerability specifically targets the OpenFlow protocol implementation within the OpenDaylight platform, which is designed to provide centralized network control and management.
The operational impact of CVE-2017-1000357 extends beyond simple service interruption to encompass complete network paralysis within environments relying on OpenDaylight for software-defined networking operations. Organizations utilizing this platform for network virtualization, traffic management, and centralized control would experience complete loss of network functionality when switches encounter the specific rejection condition that triggers this vulnerability. The cascading nature of the failure means that even partial network outages can result in complete service disruption across the entire SDN domain. This vulnerability directly violates the principles of fault tolerance and resilience that are fundamental to modern network infrastructure design, as outlined in industry standards such as those addressing CWE-703 - Improper Check or Handling of Exceptional Conditions.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate patching of affected OpenDaylight installations to versions that address the specific exception handling flaws within the l2switch-switch component. Network administrators should implement monitoring solutions that can detect the specific conditions leading to this vulnerability and provide automated recovery mechanisms. The remediation process must include thorough testing of network configurations to ensure that updated systems maintain proper OpenFlow communication without introducing new failure modes. Organizations should also consider implementing redundant controller configurations and failover mechanisms to provide resilience against similar vulnerabilities. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK techniques related to privilege escalation and denial of service through system manipulation, as it exploits fundamental communication protocols to achieve complete service disruption. The fix typically involves implementing proper error recovery procedures and ensuring that the system can gracefully handle switch rejections without complete service termination, following established security practices for robust system design and implementation.