CVE-2017-15074 in Puma
Summary
by MITRE
The Intel Puma 5, 6, and 7 chips, as used on SMC D3G2408 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 SMC.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/22/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-15074 affects Intel Puma 5, 6, and 7 chips integrated into SMC D3G2408 devices, representing a significant hardware-level weakness that manifests as a denial of service condition. This flaw operates at the network protocol processing layer where the chip's handling of incoming packets becomes overwhelmed by a relatively modest volume of small packets distributed across multiple TCP or UDP ports. The vulnerability stems from insufficient rate limiting and packet processing controls within the chip's network stack implementation, creating a condition where legitimate network operations become severely degraded rather than completely terminated. The impact extends beyond simple service interruption as the performance degradation can render the device effectively unusable for its intended network functions while maintaining physical connectivity.
The technical mechanism behind this vulnerability involves the chip's inability to properly manage concurrent packet processing requests when faced with a high-frequency, low-volume packet flood targeting multiple ports simultaneously. This creates a resource exhaustion scenario where the chip's processing units become saturated with packet handling tasks, leading to queuing delays and eventual performance collapse. The vulnerability operates at the network interface controller level and affects the chip's ability to maintain normal packet forwarding rates, particularly when dealing with packets that trigger connection tracking mechanisms within the chip's network stack. The specific nature of the attack vector requires only a moderate packet volume to generate substantial performance impacts, making it particularly dangerous as it can be executed with minimal resources. This behavior aligns with CWE-400 vulnerability classification related to resource exhaustion and represents a classic example of how hardware-level design flaws can create systemic security issues.
The operational impact of CVE-2017-15074 extends beyond simple network disruption to encompass potential business continuity issues for organizations relying on SMC D3G2408 devices. The performance degradation affects all network services running through the affected chip, including but not limited to web services, database connections, and VoIP communications. The attack's remote nature means that adversaries can exploit this vulnerability from outside the local network, requiring no physical access or privileged network positions. The vulnerability's persistence is particularly concerning as it affects the fundamental network processing capabilities of the device, meaning that once exploited, the device may remain in a degraded state until physical intervention or firmware updates occur. Organizations may experience cascading effects where the performance degradation impacts other network services that depend on the affected device's connectivity, creating broader system reliability issues.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability must be approached through firmware updates and network configuration adjustments since Intel has explicitly stated they do not control the mitigation distribution channel for these specific chips. Network administrators should implement rate limiting at network boundaries to reduce the volume of packets reaching the affected devices, though this approach may impact legitimate network operations. The recommended approach involves coordinating with SMC directly for firmware patches that address the chip-level processing issues, as Intel's role is limited to hardware manufacturing rather than software maintenance or security updates. Organizations should also implement network segmentation to isolate affected devices and monitor for unusual packet patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability's nature suggests that traditional intrusion detection systems may not effectively identify this specific attack pattern, requiring specialized monitoring solutions that can detect abnormal packet processing behavior at the network interface level. This situation exemplifies the challenges of managing security vulnerabilities in embedded systems where hardware manufacturers and software vendors maintain separate update channels and security response protocols, as outlined in the ATT&CK framework's approach to hardware-level attack vectors and system compromise techniques.