CVE-2017-15078 in Puma
Summary
by MITRE
The Intel Puma 5, 6, and 7 chips, as used on Virgin Media branded Arris TG2492 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, a related issue to CVE-2017-15064. 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 Virgin Media.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/22/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-15078 represents a significant denial of service weakness affecting Intel Puma 5, 6, and 7 chips integrated into Virgin Media branded Arris TG2492 gateway devices. This issue manifests when remote attackers exploit the hardware's processing capabilities by transmitting moderate volumes of small packets to numerous TCP or UDP ports simultaneously. The attack vector leverages the chip's inherent design limitations in handling concurrent network traffic, resulting in substantial performance degradation that effectively renders the device operational but severely compromised in functionality. The vulnerability operates at the network processing layer where the chip's packet handling mechanisms become overwhelmed by the volume and distribution pattern of incoming traffic, creating a cascading effect that depletes system resources and impacts overall network service availability.
This weakness constitutes a variant of the broader class of resource exhaustion vulnerabilities commonly categorized under CWE-400, specifically targeting the exhaustion of computational resources through network packet flooding. The technical flaw exists within the chip's network processing architecture where insufficient rate limiting and packet handling mechanisms fail to properly differentiate between legitimate traffic and maliciously crafted packets designed to trigger resource exhaustion. The attack pattern involves distributing packets across multiple ports rather than concentrating on single endpoints, which maximizes the impact on the chip's processing capabilities while remaining below thresholds that might trigger automatic detection systems. This approach aligns with techniques described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the T1498 tactic for network denial of service attacks, specifically targeting network infrastructure components to create service disruption.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service interruption to create persistent network degradation that affects all connected devices and services within the compromised network segment. When exploited, the vulnerability causes the affected gateway to experience significant performance bottlenecks where legitimate network traffic becomes severely delayed or dropped entirely, effectively creating a man-in-the-middle scenario where network communication is degraded rather than completely severed. The distributed nature of the attack means that even small volumes of packets sent to multiple ports can accumulate to create substantial processing overhead, making it particularly dangerous in environments where multiple attackers can coordinate their efforts or where the device operates in high-traffic conditions. The vulnerability's impact on network infrastructure creates cascading effects that can disrupt critical services, including internet connectivity, VoIP communications, and IoT device operations that depend on stable network performance.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2017-15078 must be approached through multiple layers of network security controls since the root cause resides within the hardware chip's design rather than the software operating on top of it. Network administrators should implement rate limiting and packet filtering rules at network boundaries to reduce the volume of traffic reaching the affected devices, though this approach may not completely eliminate the vulnerability due to its hardware-level nature. The most effective long-term solution requires firmware updates from Virgin Media, as Intel explicitly stated they do not maintain the mitigation distribution channel for these specific chips. Security teams should also consider network segmentation strategies to isolate affected devices from critical infrastructure, implement intrusion detection systems capable of identifying abnormal packet distribution patterns, and establish monitoring protocols to detect early signs of exploitation attempts. Organizations should also maintain detailed network baseline measurements to quickly identify performance degradation that might indicate exploitation of this vulnerability, given that the attack creates subtle but measurable impacts on system performance rather than complete service outages.