CVE-2017-15315 in NIP6300
Summary
by MITRE
Patch module of Huawei NIP6300 V500R001C20SPC100, V500R001C20SPC200, NIP6600 V500R001C20SPC100, V500R001C20SPC200, Secospace USG6300 V500R001C20SPC100, V500R001C20SPC200, Secospace USG6500 V500R001C20SPC100, V500R001C20SPC200 has a memory leak vulnerability. An authenticated attacker could execute special commands many times, the memory leaking happened, which would cause the device to reset finally.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/17/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-15315 affects Huawei network security appliances including the NIP6300, NIP6600, Secospace USG6300, and Secospace USG6500 series devices running specific software versions. This memory leak vulnerability exists within the patch module of these security appliances, representing a critical weakness in the device's memory management capabilities. The flaw allows authenticated attackers to exploit the system through repeated execution of specially crafted commands that trigger memory allocation without proper deallocation, leading to progressive memory consumption and eventual system instability.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability demonstrates a classic memory leak pattern where the patch module fails to properly release allocated memory blocks after command execution. When an authenticated attacker repeatedly executes specific commands designed to trigger the patch functionality, each execution consumes additional memory resources without returning them to the system pool. This progressive memory consumption eventually exhausts available memory resources, causing the device to become unresponsive and ultimately requiring a complete system reset to recover functionality. The vulnerability specifically targets the patch management system rather than core network processing functions, making it particularly concerning for security appliance environments where patching is a routine operational task.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates a significant risk for network security infrastructure deployments where these Huawei appliances serve as critical defensive mechanisms. The requirement for authentication before exploitation limits the attack surface compared to unauthenticated vulnerabilities, but it still represents a serious threat to service availability and network security operations. The memory leak can be exploited through legitimate administrative access, potentially allowing for denial-of-service attacks that could disrupt critical network security functions. This vulnerability directly impacts the availability aspect of the CIA triad and can compromise network security operations by forcing unexpected device restarts during critical security events.
Security practitioners should implement immediate mitigations including restricting administrative access to only trusted personnel, monitoring for unusual command execution patterns, and implementing regular system health checks to detect memory consumption anomalies. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-401, which categorizes memory leak issues as a common weakness in software design and implementation. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving privilege escalation and denial-of-service operations, potentially enabling adversaries to disrupt network security operations and gain opportunities for further exploitation. Organizations should also consider implementing network segmentation and access controls to limit the potential impact of successful exploitation attempts. The affected devices should be updated to patched versions as soon as possible, and administrators should conduct thorough testing of patch deployment to ensure operational continuity while addressing the memory leak vulnerability.