CVE-2017-17141 in S12700
Summary
by MITRE
Huawei S12700 V200R005C00; V200R006C00; V200R007C00; V200R007C01; V200R007C20; V200R008C00; V200R009C00;S1700 V200R006C10; V200R009C00;S2700 V100R006C03; V200R003C00; V200R005C00; V200R006C00; V200R006C10; V200R007C00; V200R007C00B050; V200R007C00SPC009T; V200R007C00SPC019T; V200R008C00; V200R009C00;S3700 V100R006C03;S5700 V200R001C00; V200R001C01; V200R002C00; V200R003C00; V200R003C02; V200R005C00; V200R005C01; V200R005C02; V200R005C03; V200R006C00; V200R007C00; V200R008C00; V200R009C00;S6700 V200R001C00; V200R001C01; V200R002C00; V200R003C00; V200R005C00; V200R005C01; V200R005C02; V200R008C00; V200R009C00;S7700 V200R001C00; V200R001C01; V200R002C00; V200R003C00; V200R005C00; V200R006C00; V200R006C01; V200R007C00; V200R007C01; V200R008C00; V200R008C06; V200R009C00;S9700 V200R001C00; V200R001C01; V200R002C00; V200R003C00; V200R005C00; V200R006C00; V200R007C00; V200R007C01; V200R008C00; V200R009C00 have a memory leak vulnerability. In some specific conditions, if attackers send specific malformed MPLS Service PING messages to the affected products, products do not release the memory when handling the packets. So successful exploit will result in memory leak of the affected products.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/16/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-17141 represents a critical memory leak flaw affecting multiple Huawei network switching products across various software versions. This vulnerability specifically impacts devices running Huawei S12700, S1700, S2700, S3700, S5700, S6700, S7700, and S9700 series switches. The flaw manifests when these devices process malformed MPLS Service PING messages, creating a condition where memory allocated for packet handling is not properly released back to the system. This memory management failure occurs under specific operational conditions that involve the processing of malformed network packets, making it particularly dangerous in production environments where network switches handle high volumes of traffic.
From a technical perspective, this vulnerability falls under the CWE-401 category of "Improper Release of Memory Before Removing Last Reference" and represents a classic memory leak scenario that can be exploited through network-based attacks. The vulnerability operates at the network protocol level, specifically targeting the MPLS Service PING functionality within Huawei's networking infrastructure. When attackers craft and send malformed MPLS Service PING packets to vulnerable devices, the switch's processing routine fails to properly deallocate memory resources, leading to progressive memory consumption. This behavior aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.001 which describes "Network Denial of Service" through resource exhaustion attacks, where attackers consume system resources to cause service disruption.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple memory consumption, as it can lead to significant service degradation and potential system instability. In environments where network switches are critical infrastructure components, the memory leak can accumulate over time until the device experiences performance degradation, application failures, or complete system crashes. The vulnerability affects multiple generations of Huawei switches, indicating a widespread issue that spans across various product lines and software versions, making it particularly concerning for large enterprise networks that may have deployed multiple affected devices. The specific conditions required for exploitation mean that this vulnerability is not easily triggered by random traffic but requires targeted attack vectors through crafted network packets.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2017-17141 should prioritize immediate software updates from Huawei to address the memory leak issue. Network administrators should implement network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure to potentially malicious traffic sources. Monitoring systems should be configured to detect unusual memory usage patterns that could indicate exploitation attempts. Additionally, implementing ingress filtering and packet validation mechanisms can help prevent malformed MPLS Service PING messages from reaching vulnerable devices. The vulnerability's classification as a memory leak makes it particularly important to establish baseline memory usage monitoring, allowing administrators to detect the gradual accumulation of memory consumption that indicates exploitation. Organizations should also consider implementing network access control lists to restrict MPLS traffic to trusted sources only, reducing the attack surface for this specific vulnerability.