CVE-2017-15065 in Puma
Summary
by MITRE
The Intel Puma 5, 6, and 7 chips, as used on ASUS CM-32 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 ASUS.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/22/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-15065 represents a significant hardware-level performance degradation issue affecting Intel Puma 5, 6, and 7 chips deployed in ASUS CM-32 devices. This flaw operates at the network processing level where malicious actors can exploit the chip's handling of network traffic to induce systematic performance degradation without completely crashing the system. The vulnerability specifically targets the chip's ability to process incoming network packets, particularly when these packets are small in size and distributed across multiple TCP or UDP ports. The attack vector requires only a moderate volume of such packets to be effective, making it particularly concerning for network security professionals as it can be executed with relatively low resources and minimal sophistication.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from how the Intel Puma chip family processes network traffic at the hardware level, particularly in its TCP and UDP port handling mechanisms. When subjected to the specific pattern of small packets distributed across many ports, the chip's network processing units become overwhelmed with administrative overhead and state management tasks. This results in the chip's performance degrading significantly, effectively creating a denial of service condition that impacts legitimate network traffic processing. The vulnerability operates at layers that align with CWE-400, which addresses unspecified denial of service conditions, and represents a classic example of resource exhaustion attacks that target hardware processing capabilities rather than software vulnerabilities. The chip's design appears to lack adequate rate limiting or packet processing prioritization mechanisms that would prevent such performance degradation under normal network load conditions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple network disruption to encompass broader system reliability and availability concerns for organizations using ASUS CM-32 devices. The performance degradation affects the entire network processing capability of affected systems, potentially causing cascading effects on network services and applications that depend on timely packet processing. This type of vulnerability particularly affects environments where network availability is critical, such as enterprise networks, data centers, or any infrastructure where consistent network performance is required. The attack requires minimal network bandwidth and computational resources from the attacker, making it an attractive vector for persistent network disruption campaigns. From an adversarial perspective, this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1498, which covers network denial of service attacks, and represents a hardware-level variant of network disruption that operates below the traditional software attack surface.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2017-15065 are primarily dependent on the device manufacturer's response, as Intel has clarified they do not control the mitigation distribution channel for these specific chips. Organizations should implement network-level protections such as rate limiting at the network perimeter to prevent the targeted packet patterns from reaching affected devices, though this approach may impact legitimate network traffic. The vulnerability's nature suggests that firmware updates from ASUS would be the most appropriate long-term solution, as these would address the chip's specific handling of network packets at the hardware level. Network administrators should monitor for unusual packet patterns and implement intrusion detection systems that can identify the specific attack signatures associated with this vulnerability. Additionally, implementing network segmentation and access controls can help limit the potential impact of such attacks by isolating affected systems and reducing the attack surface. The vulnerability's classification under CWE-400 and its operational characteristics make it particularly important for organizations to maintain awareness of their hardware inventory and ensure proper vendor communication channels are established for security updates and mitigation guidance.