CVE-2017-15071 in Puma
Summary
by MITRE
The Intel Puma 5, 6, and 7 chips, as used on NETGEAR C6300, CM400, CM700, and CMD31T 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 NETGEAR.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/22/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-15071 affects Intel Puma 5, 6, and 7 chips integrated into various NETGEAR networking devices including the C6300, CM400, CM700, and CMD31T models. This represents a hardware-level flaw that manifests as a denial of service condition rather than a complete system compromise. The issue stems from how these chips process network traffic when subjected to specific packet patterns, creating a performance degradation that impacts the availability of network services. The vulnerability operates at the network protocol level, specifically targeting TCP and UDP port handling mechanisms within the chip's packet processing architecture.
The technical flaw involves the chip's inability to properly handle a moderate volume of small packets distributed across many TCP or UDP ports simultaneously. This creates a resource exhaustion scenario where the chip's processing capabilities become overwhelmed by the packet flow pattern, leading to significant performance degradation. The vulnerability demonstrates characteristics consistent with a resource exhaustion attack pattern, where the attacker leverages the chip's processing limitations to consume available system resources. The attack requires sending packets to multiple ports rather than a single target, suggesting the flaw exists in how the chip manages concurrent port processing rather than individual port handling. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-400 which specifically addresses "Uncontrolled Resource Consumption" and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.001 for "Network Denial of Service" within the adversary tactics and techniques framework.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple network disruption to potentially affecting business continuity and service availability for networks relying on affected NETGEAR devices. The performance degradation can manifest as slowed network response times, increased latency, or complete service unavailability depending on the volume and duration of the attack. Network administrators may experience difficulty in diagnosing the root cause since the issue appears as normal network performance degradation rather than an obvious attack signature. The vulnerability affects the fundamental networking capabilities of these devices, potentially impacting critical network infrastructure where these routers or access points serve as primary connectivity points. The attack vector requires minimal resources from the attacker, making it particularly concerning as it can be executed by anyone with network access to send the specific packet patterns to the affected devices.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability must be implemented at the network level since Intel has indicated they do not control the distribution channel for mitigation updates in this specific case. The primary approach involves implementing network monitoring to detect unusual packet patterns and establishing rate limiting mechanisms to prevent the specific attack pattern from overwhelming the affected chips. Network administrators should consider implementing ingress filtering and packet inspection rules that can identify and block the characteristic packet flow patterns associated with this vulnerability. The lack of direct mitigation support from Intel means that affected organizations must rely on NETGEAR for firmware updates and specific guidance, creating a dependency chain that complicates immediate response. Organizations should also implement network segmentation to isolate affected devices and monitor for performance degradation that could indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability highlights the importance of maintaining current firmware versions and establishing clear vendor communication channels for security updates.