CVE-2017-17251 in AR120-S
Summary
by MITRE
Huawei AR120-S V200R006C10, V200R007C00, V200R008C20, V200R008C30, AR1200 V200R006C10, V200R006C13, V200R007C00, V200R007C01, V200R007C02, V200R008C20, V200R008C30, AR1200-S V200R006C10, V200R007C00, V200R008C20, V200R008C30, AR150 V200R006C10, V200R007C00, V200R007C01, V200R007C02, V200R008C20, V200R008C30, AR150-S V200R006C10SPC300, V200R007C00, V200R008C20, V200R008C30, AR160 V200R006C10, V200R006C12, V200R007C00, V200R007C01, V200R007C02, V200R008C20, V200R008C30, AR200 V200R006C10, V200R007C00, V200R007C01, V200R008C20, V200R008C30, AR200-S V200R006C10, V200R007C00, V200R008C20, V200R008C30, AR2200 V200R006C10, V200R006C13, V200R006C16PWE, V200R007C00, V200R007C01, V200R007C02, V200R008C20, V200R008C30, AR2200-S V200R006C10, V200R007C00, V200R008C20, V200R008C30, AR3200 V200R006C10, V200R006C11, V200R007C00, V200R007C01, V200R007C02, V200R008C00, V200R008C10, V200R008C20, V200R008C30, AR3600 V200R006C10, V200R007C00, V200R007C01, V200R008C20, AR510 V200R006C10, V200R006C12, V200R006C13, V200R006C15, V200R006C16, V200R006C17, V200R007C00SPC180T, V200R008C20, V200R008C30, DP300 V500R002C00, IPS Module V100R001C10SPC200, V100R001C20, V100R001C30, V500R001C00, V500R001C20, V500R001C30, V500R001C50, NGFW Module V100R001C10SPC200, V100R001C20, V100R001C30, V500R001C00, V500R001C20, V500R002C00, V500R002C10, NIP6300 V500R001C00, V500R001C20, V500R001C30, V500R001C50, NIP6600 V500R001C00, V500R001C20, V500R001C30, V500R001C50, NIP6800 V500R001C50, NetEngine16EX V200R006C10, V200R007C00, V200R008C20, V200R008C30, RSE6500 V500R002C00, SRG1300 V200R006C10, V200R007C00, V200R007C02, V200R008C20, V200R008C30, SRG2300 V200R006C10, V200R007C00, V200R007C02, V200R008C20, V200R008C30, SRG3300 V200R006C10, V200R007C00, V200R008C20, V200R008C30, SVN5600 V200R003C00, V200R003C10, SVN5800 V200R003C00, V200R003C10, SVN5800-C V200R003C00, V200R003C10, SeMG9811 V300R001C01, Secospace USG6300 V100R001C10, V100R001C20, V100R001C30, V500R001C00, V500R001C20, V500R001C30, V500R001C50, Secospace USG6500 V100R001C10, V100R001C20, V100R001C30, V500R001C00, V500R001C20, V500R001C30, V500R001C50, Secospace USG6600 V100R001C00SPC200, V100R001C10, V100R001C20, V100R001C30, V500R001C00, V500R001C20, V500R001C30, V500R001C50, V500R001C60, TE30 V100R001C02, V100R001C10, V500R002C00, V600R006C00, TE40 V500R002C00, V600R006C00, TE50 V500R002C00, V600R006C00, TE60 V100R001C01, V100R001C10, V500R002C00, V600R006C00, TP3106 V100R002C00, TP3206 V100R002C00, V100R002C10, USG6000V V500R001C20, USG9500 V500R001C00, V500R001C20, V500R001C30, V500R001C50, USG9520 V300R001C01, V300R001C20, USG9560 V300R001C01, V300R001C20, USG9580 V300R001C01, V300R001C20, VP9660 V500R002C00, V500R002C10, ViewPoint 8660 V100R008C03, ViewPoint 9030 V100R011C02 have a null pointer dereference vulnerability in H323 protocol. An unauthenticated, remote attacker could craft malformed packets and send the packets to the affected products. Due to insufficient validation of packets, which could be exploited to cause process crash.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/07/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-17251 affects numerous Huawei network infrastructure devices including routers, firewalls, and security appliances across multiple product lines and software versions. This issue manifests as a null pointer dereference within the H323 protocol implementation, representing a critical weakness that can be exploited by remote attackers without authentication. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation mechanisms that fail to properly sanitize incoming H323 protocol packets, allowing maliciously crafted data to trigger unexpected behavior in the affected systems.
The technical flaw occurs when the system processes malformed H323 protocol packets that contain null pointers or invalid references within the protocol handling logic. According to CWE-476, this vulnerability maps directly to a null pointer dereference condition where the application attempts to access memory through a null pointer reference. When such malformed packets are received, the system's H323 protocol handler fails to validate the packet structure properly, leading to a scenario where a null pointer is dereferenced, causing the affected process to crash and terminate unexpectedly. This behavior aligns with the ATT&CK technique T1499.004, which involves network disruption through service availability attacks.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption, as it can lead to complete system outages across critical network infrastructure components. Affected devices may experience repeated crashes, requiring manual intervention for recovery and potentially causing extended network downtime. The remote nature of the exploit means that attackers can target these devices from outside the network perimeter without requiring any credentials or prior access, making the attack surface particularly concerning for enterprise environments. The vulnerability affects a broad range of Huawei products including AR series routers, USG firewalls, and various security appliances, indicating a widespread issue that impacts network infrastructure security.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2017-17251 should prioritize immediate patch deployment from Huawei, as the vendor has released firmware updates addressing this specific vulnerability. Network administrators should implement network segmentation to limit exposure of affected devices to untrusted networks and consider disabling H323 protocol processing where it is not essential for operations. Additionally, monitoring and logging mechanisms should be enhanced to detect anomalous packet patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability's classification under CWE-476 and its potential for remote code execution through process crashes requires comprehensive network security monitoring and incident response procedures to effectively manage the risk. Organizations should also consider implementing network access controls and firewall rules to restrict H323 protocol traffic to only trusted sources, reducing the attack surface and providing additional defense in depth.