CVE-2017-15064 in Puma
Summary
by MITRE
The Intel Puma 5, 6, and 7 chips, as used on various Arris devices, allow remote attackers to cause a denial of service (performance degradation) by sending a moderate volume of small packets to many TCP or UDP ports. NOTE: Intel has advised that they are only a hardware manufacturer in this instance; they do NOT own the mitigation distribution channel for these chips. Any details about mitigations would need to come from Arris.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/22/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-15064 represents a significant denial of service weakness affecting Intel Puma 5, 6, and 7 chips integrated into various Arris networking devices. This flaw manifests when remote attackers exploit the hardware architecture by transmitting a moderate volume of small packets to numerous TCP or UDP ports simultaneously. The impact results in substantial performance degradation rather than complete system failure, creating an operational disruption that affects network availability and service delivery. The vulnerability specifically targets the chip-level processing capabilities of these devices, which operate as part of the broader networking infrastructure.
Technical analysis reveals that the flaw stems from how the Intel Puma chipsets handle packet processing under specific network load conditions. When multiple small packets are directed toward various ports concurrently, the hardware's resource management mechanisms become overwhelmed, leading to performance bottlenecks that manifest as denial of service conditions. This issue falls under the category of resource exhaustion attacks where computational resources are consumed in a manner that degrades system performance. The vulnerability demonstrates a weakness in the chip's packet handling architecture that fails to properly manage concurrent connections or packet volumes, creating an exploitable condition that can be triggered remotely without requiring authentication or specialized access.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple network disruption, as it affects the reliability and availability of networking services provided by Arris devices. Organizations relying on these devices for critical network infrastructure may experience degraded performance that impacts user experience and business operations. The remote nature of the attack means that adversaries can exploit this weakness from outside the network perimeter, making it particularly concerning for network administrators who must defend against external threats. This vulnerability specifically impacts the chipset's ability to maintain consistent performance under sustained packet loads, creating a condition where legitimate network traffic may be affected by the malicious packet flooding.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability must be coordinated through Arris as the device manufacturer, since Intel serves only as the hardware provider without control over the software distribution channels. Network administrators should monitor for firmware updates from Arris that address this specific issue, as the chipset-level nature of the problem requires targeted fixes from the device manufacturer. The vulnerability does not appear to allow for arbitrary code execution or data compromise, but rather focuses on performance degradation that can be exploited to disrupt service availability. Security teams should implement network monitoring to detect unusual packet patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts, while also preparing for potential firmware updates that address the hardware-level processing issues. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.004 for network denial of service and CWE-400 for unspecified resource exhaustion, highlighting the need for both hardware and software level protections against such exploitation vectors.