CVE-2017-14114 in RTPproxy
Summary
by MITRE
RTPproxy through 2.2.alpha.20160822 has a NAT feature that results in not properly determining the IP address and port number of the legitimate recipient of RTP traffic, which allows remote attackers to obtain sensitive information or cause a denial of service (communication outage) via crafted RTP packets.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/12/2019
The RTPproxy vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-14114 represents a critical security flaw in the Real-time Transport Protocol proxy software that has significant implications for voice and video communication systems. This vulnerability specifically affects versions of RTPproxy prior to 2.2.alpha.20160822 and stems from improper handling of IP address and port number determination within the Network Address Translation functionality. The flaw exists in how the system processes incoming RTP packets to identify legitimate recipients, creating a pathway for malicious actors to exploit the NAT handling mechanisms.
The technical nature of this vulnerability can be classified under CWE-200, which deals with improper exposure of sensitive information, and CWE-400, related to unspecified denial of service conditions. The core issue manifests when RTPproxy fails to properly validate or extract the correct destination IP address and port information from crafted RTP packets. This misidentification allows attackers to manipulate the proxy's routing decisions and potentially intercept or disrupt communication flows. The vulnerability operates at the network protocol level, specifically targeting the RTP protocol which is fundamental to VoIP and multimedia streaming applications.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates multiple attack vectors that can severely impact communication infrastructure. Remote attackers can leverage this flaw to either obtain sensitive information transmitted through RTP channels or to cause deliberate denial of service conditions that result in complete communication outages. The impact extends beyond simple information disclosure as the ability to cause communication disruptions can severely affect business continuity, especially in environments where real-time communication is critical. Organizations using RTPproxy for voice over IP services, video conferencing, or multimedia streaming are particularly vulnerable to these attacks.
The attack surface for this vulnerability is broad, affecting any system that relies on RTPproxy for NAT traversal in VoIP environments. The exploitation requires only the ability to send crafted RTP packets to the vulnerable system, making it particularly dangerous as it can be executed remotely without requiring authentication. Security practitioners should consider this vulnerability in the context of the ATT&CK framework, specifically under the T1071.001 technique for application layer protocol usage and T1499.004 for network disruption. The vulnerability demonstrates how seemingly benign network protocol handling can create significant security risks when proper validation mechanisms are absent. Mitigation strategies should include immediate patching to the latest stable version of RTPproxy, implementing network segmentation to limit exposure, and deploying intrusion detection systems that can identify suspicious RTP packet patterns. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing additional monitoring for anomalous communication patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts.