CVE-2017-17305 in USG2205BSR
Summary
by MITRE
Some Huawei Firewall products USG2205BSR V300R001C10SPC600; USG2220BSR V300R001C00; USG5120BSR V300R001C00; USG5150BSR V300R001C00 have a Bleichenbacher Oracle vulnerability in the IPSEC IKEv1 implementations. Remote attackers can decrypt IPSEC tunnel ciphertext data by leveraging a Bleichenbacher RSA padding oracle. Cause a Bleichenbacher oracle attack. Successful exploit this vulnerability can impact IPSec tunnel security.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/04/2023
The CVE-2017-17305 vulnerability represents a critical cryptographic weakness in Huawei firewall products that affects multiple models including the USG2205BSR, USG2220BSR, USG5120BSR, and USG5150BSR series. This vulnerability specifically targets the IPSEC IKEv1 implementation within these network security devices, creating a significant risk to encrypted communications. The flaw manifests as a Bleichenbacher RSA padding oracle vulnerability, which is a well-documented cryptographic weakness that has been exploited in numerous security incidents across various platforms. The vulnerability stems from improper handling of RSA decryption operations during the IKEv1 key exchange process, where the firewall's response to invalid padding attempts reveals information that can be systematically exploited by attackers.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability follows the established Bleichenbacher attack methodology, where remote adversaries can systematically decrypt IPSEC tunnel ciphertext data through a series of carefully crafted requests that exploit the oracle behavior. This attack leverages the fact that the firewall provides different error responses when processing RSA-padded messages with invalid padding, creating a timing or response-based oracle that reveals information about the plaintext. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it affects the fundamental security of IPSEC tunnels, which are designed to provide confidentiality and integrity for network communications. When exploited, this vulnerability can allow attackers to decrypt sensitive data transmitted through IPSEC tunnels, potentially exposing confidential information, credentials, and network communications that should remain protected.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data decryption, as it fundamentally undermines the security assurances provided by IPSEC encryption. Network administrators face the risk of unauthorized access to encrypted communications, potentially leading to data breaches, man-in-the-middle attacks, and complete compromise of secure network connections. The vulnerability affects the integrity of the entire IPSEC security framework, as it allows attackers to potentially modify encrypted data in transit without detection. This weakness can be particularly damaging in enterprise environments where IPSEC tunnels are used to secure sensitive communications between branch offices, remote workers, and critical infrastructure components. The attack can be executed remotely without requiring authentication, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited from outside the network perimeter.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should implement immediate mitigations including firmware updates from Huawei, which address the cryptographic implementation issues in the IKEv1 processing. The mitigation strategy should also include monitoring network traffic for signs of exploitation attempts and implementing additional security controls such as network segmentation and intrusion detection systems. Security teams should consider disabling IPSEC IKEv1 where possible and migrating to IKEv2 implementations which are less susceptible to this class of attacks. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-327, which addresses the use of weak or broken cryptographic algorithms, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1041, which involves data compression and encryption for data exfiltration. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper cryptographic implementation and the potential consequences of failing to address well-known cryptographic weaknesses in network security devices. Organizations should also review their overall cryptographic posture and ensure that all network security appliances are regularly updated and monitored for similar vulnerabilities.