CVE-2017-17311 in USG2205BSR
Summary
by MITRE
Some Huawei Firewall products USG2205BSR V300R001C10SPC600; USG2220BSR V300R001C00; USG5120BSR V300R001C00; USG5150BSR V300R001C00 have a DoS vulnerability in the IPSEC IKEv1 implementations of Huawei Firewall products. Due to improper handling of the malformed messages, an attacker may sent crafted packets to the affected device to exploit these vulnerabilities. Successful exploit the vulnerability could lead to device deny of service.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/04/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-17311 represents a critical denial of service weakness within Huawei's USG series firewall products, specifically affecting models including the USG2205BSR V300R001C10SPC600, USG2220BSR V300R001C00, USG5120BSR V300R001C00, and USG5150BSR V300R001C00. This weakness resides within the IPSEC IKEv1 implementation, which forms a fundamental component of the firewall's security infrastructure. The vulnerability stems from inadequate validation and processing of malformed IKE protocol messages that are part of the Internet Key Exchange version 1 framework used for establishing secure communication channels between network devices. The improper handling of these malformed packets creates a condition where legitimate network traffic can be disrupted through carefully crafted malicious inputs.
The technical flaw manifests when the firewall's IKEv1 implementation fails to properly validate incoming packets during the security association negotiation process. This validation gap allows attackers to send specifically crafted malformed packets that exploit the device's processing logic without proper input sanitization. The vulnerability operates at the protocol level where the firewall's IKE daemon or service responsible for IPSEC tunnel establishment becomes unstable when encountering these malformed messages. According to CWE classification, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-129, which addresses improper validation of input ranges, and CWE-248, which covers exposure of unintended alternate path in a program. The attack vector specifically targets the IKEv1 protocol implementation within the firewall's IPSEC subsystem, making it particularly dangerous for network security infrastructure.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption as it can effectively render critical network security devices unusable. When exploited successfully, the vulnerability can cause complete denial of service for the affected firewall, potentially compromising network security by preventing legitimate IPSEC tunnels from being established or maintained. This creates a window of vulnerability where network traffic may be left unprotected or forced to traverse less secure pathways. The attack requires minimal resources from the perpetrator, making it particularly attractive for threat actors seeking to disrupt network operations. The affected devices may experience complete service interruption, requiring manual intervention to restore normal operations, which can result in significant downtime and potential security gaps during the recovery period.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on immediate firmware updates from Huawei as recommended by the vendor's security advisories. Network administrators should implement network segmentation to limit the attack surface and prevent unauthorized access to the affected firewall devices. Monitoring for unusual network traffic patterns and implementing intrusion detection systems can help identify potential exploitation attempts. The implementation of access control lists and firewall rules to restrict IKEv1 traffic to trusted sources can provide additional protective layers. Organizations should also consider disabling IPSEC IKEv1 functionality if it is not essential for their network operations, as this would eliminate the attack vector entirely. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to T1499.004 which covers network disruption through denial of service attacks, and T1566.002 which involves spearphishing with social engineering techniques to gain initial access to network infrastructure. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be implemented to identify similar weaknesses in other network security devices within the organization's infrastructure.