CVE-2017-17138 in DP300
Summary
by MITRE
PEM module of DP300 V500R002C00; IPS Module V500R001C00; V500R001C30; NGFW Module V500R001C00; V500R002C00; NIP6300 V500R001C00; V500R001C30; NIP6600 V500R001C00; V500R001C30; RP200 V500R002C00; V600R006C00; S12700 V200R007C00; V200R007C01; V200R008C00; V200R009C00; V200R010C00; S1700 V200R006C10; V200R009C00; V200R010C00; S2700 V200R006C10; V200R007C00; V200R008C00; V200R009C00; V200R010C00; S5700 V200R006C00; V200R007C00; V200R008C00; V200R009C00; V200R010C00; S6700 V200R008C00; V200R009C00; V200R010C00; S7700 V200R007C00; V200R008C00; V200R009C00; V200R010C00; S9700 V200R007C00; V200R007C01; V200R008C00; V200R009C00; V200R010C00; Secospace USG6300 V500R001C00; V500R001C30; Secospace USG6500 V500R001C00; V500R001C30; Secospace USG6600 V500R001C00; V500R001C30S; TE30 V100R001C02; V100R001C10; V500R002C00; V600R006C00; TE40 V500R002C00; V600R006C00; TE50 V500R002C00; V600R006C00; TE60 V100R001C01; V100R001C10; V500R002C00; V600R006C00; TP3106 V100R002C00; TP3206 V100R002C00; V100R002C10; USG9500 V500R001C00; V500R001C30; ViewPoint 9030 V100R011C02; V100R011C03 has a DoS vulnerability in PEM module of Huawei products due to insufficient verification. An authenticated local attacker can make processing into deadloop by a malicious certificate. 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 described in CVE-2017-17138 represents a critical denial of service flaw within the PEM (Privacy-Enhanced Mail) module of various Huawei network security appliances and communication devices. This issue affects a broad range of Huawei products including firewalls, intrusion prevention systems, network interface processors, and unified security gateways across multiple software versions. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation within the PEM module's certificate processing functionality, specifically when handling maliciously crafted certificates that trigger infinite loops during processing. This weakness allows authenticated local attackers with access to the system to exploit the flaw by submitting specially crafted certificates that cause the affected systems to enter a continuous processing loop, effectively rendering the device unavailable for legitimate operations.
From a technical perspective, the vulnerability manifests as a lack of proper certificate validation mechanisms within the PEM processing pipeline of Huawei's security appliances. The insufficient verification occurs during the certificate parsing and validation phases, where maliciously constructed certificate data can cause the processing logic to continuously iterate through specific code paths without proper termination conditions. This type of vulnerability aligns with CWE-835, which specifically addresses infinite loops in software implementations. The flaw operates at the application layer and requires local authentication access, making it a privilege escalation vulnerability that can be exploited by attackers who already have legitimate access to the system. The attack vector involves the deliberate submission of malformed certificate data that bypasses normal validation checks and triggers the problematic code path.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption, as it affects critical network infrastructure components that form the backbone of enterprise security deployments. When exploited, the denial of service condition can compromise network availability and potentially impact business continuity, especially in environments where these devices serve as primary security controls. The vulnerability affects multiple product lines including Huawei's NGFW, IPS, and various router and switch platforms, indicating a widespread issue within the vendor's security module implementations. Organizations relying on these devices for network protection face significant risk of service interruption, particularly during critical operational periods when network availability is paramount. The vulnerability's presence in both hardware and software components across multiple generations suggests a systemic issue in the development lifecycle of these security features.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2017-17138 should focus on immediate firmware updates from Huawei to address the certificate validation flaw. Network administrators must ensure that all affected devices are updated to versions that contain proper input validation mechanisms and loop termination conditions. Additional protective measures include implementing certificate monitoring systems that can detect and block suspicious certificate patterns, restricting local access to security appliances, and establishing network segmentation to limit the potential impact of exploitation. The vulnerability's classification under ATT&CK technique T1499.004 for network denial of service indicates that organizations should also consider implementing intrusion detection systems that can identify anomalous certificate processing patterns. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify any remaining instances of the vulnerability across the network infrastructure, particularly in legacy systems that may not have received the latest security patches.