CVE-2017-17133 in VP9660
Summary
by MITRE
Huawei VP9660 V500R002C10 has a null pointer reference vulnerability in license module due to insufficient verification. An authenticated local attacker could place a malicious license file into system which cause memory null pointer accessing and related processing crash. The attacker can exploit this vulnerability to cause a denial of service.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/16/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-17133 affects Huawei VP9660 V500R002C10 video conferencing equipment and represents a critical null pointer reference flaw within the license module component. This weakness stems from inadequate input validation and verification processes that fail to properly sanitize or validate license files before processing. The vulnerability exists in the system's license handling mechanism where the software does not adequately check the integrity or legitimacy of license files, creating an exploitable condition that allows malicious actors to manipulate the system's memory management functions.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through authenticated local access, requiring an attacker to have legitimate credentials to the system. Once authenticated, the attacker can inject a specially crafted malicious license file that triggers a null pointer dereference during the license validation process. This memory access violation causes the system to crash or become unresponsive, resulting in a denial of service condition that disrupts legitimate conferencing operations. The vulnerability specifically targets the license module's failure to validate pointer references before accessing memory locations, a classic software flaw that falls under CWE-476 which defines null pointer dereference conditions.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risk to organizations relying on Huawei VP9660 systems for critical communication infrastructure. The denial of service condition can disrupt business continuity by preventing authorized users from accessing conferencing capabilities, potentially affecting collaboration between departments, remote teams, or external partners. The authenticated nature of the exploit means that internal threats or compromised accounts could be leveraged to cause system disruptions, making this vulnerability particularly concerning for environments where privileged access is widely distributed. The attack surface is limited to local access but the impact can be severe given the critical nature of video conferencing systems in modern business operations.
The vulnerability aligns with several ATT&CK framework techniques including privilege escalation through legitimate credentials and denial of service via system resource manipulation. The lack of proper input validation creates an opportunity for attackers to manipulate system behavior through carefully crafted inputs, demonstrating the importance of defense in depth principles. Organizations should implement strict access controls and monitor for unusual license file modifications, while also ensuring proper input sanitization and validation mechanisms are in place. The recommended mitigations include applying Huawei security patches promptly, implementing network segmentation to limit local access, and establishing monitoring procedures to detect unauthorized license file modifications. Additionally, regular security assessments should verify that license handling modules properly validate all input before processing to prevent similar null pointer reference vulnerabilities from occurring in other system components.