CVE-2017-17318 in MBB E5771h-937
Summary
by MITRE
Huawei MBB (Mobile Broadband) products E5771h-937 with the versions before E5771h-937TCPU-V200R001B328D62SP00C1133 and the versions before E5771h-937TCPU-V200R001B329D05SP00C1308 have a Denial of Service (DoS) vulnerability. When an attacker accessing device sends special http request to device, the webserver process will try to apply too much memory which can cause the device to become unable to respond. An attacker can launch a DoS attack by exploiting this vulnerability.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/08/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-17318 affects Huawei MBB E5771h-937 mobile broadband devices running specific firmware versions. This vulnerability represents a critical denial of service condition that can render the affected devices completely unresponsive to legitimate network requests. The issue manifests when an attacker crafts and sends specially crafted HTTP requests to the device's web server interface, triggering a memory allocation anomaly that consumes excessive system resources. The vulnerability specifically impacts devices with firmware versions prior to E5771h-937TCPU-V200R001B328D62SP00C1133 and those before E5771h-937TCPU-V200R001B329D05SP00C1308, indicating a widespread issue across multiple firmware releases of this particular model.
The technical flaw underlying this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation within the web server component of the Huawei MBB device. When processing HTTP requests, the device fails to properly constrain memory allocation requests that may be deliberately crafted to exhaust available system resources. This memory exhaustion occurs during the web server's processing of malformed or specially constructed HTTP requests, leading to a condition where the system becomes unresponsive to legitimate traffic. The vulnerability operates at the application layer of the network stack, specifically targeting the HTTP server implementation that handles web-based management interfaces. According to CWE classification, this vulnerability maps to CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption, which encompasses various forms of resource exhaustion attacks that can lead to denial of service conditions. The attack vector is particularly concerning as it requires minimal privileges and can be executed remotely through standard HTTP protocols.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption, as it can completely compromise the availability of the mobile broadband connection for all users of the affected device. Network administrators and end users may experience complete loss of connectivity to the internet and cellular data services, as the device becomes unresponsive to both management commands and data transmission requests. The vulnerability affects devices that are commonly used in enterprise environments, remote work scenarios, and mobile applications where consistent connectivity is critical. This DoS condition can persist until the device is manually rebooted or the firmware is updated, creating extended periods of service unavailability that can significantly impact productivity and communication capabilities. The attack can be executed by any remote user with access to the device's web management interface, making it particularly dangerous for devices deployed in public or shared network environments where unauthorized access may occur.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability primarily focus on firmware updates and network-level protective measures. Huawei released patched firmware versions that address the memory allocation issues within the web server component, and system administrators should immediately upgrade affected devices to the latest available firmware releases. Network segmentation and access control measures can provide additional protection by limiting direct access to the device's web management interfaces, reducing the attack surface available to potential adversaries. Implementing rate limiting and request validation at network boundaries can help detect and prevent the exploitation of this vulnerability by filtering out malformed HTTP requests. Organizations should also consider implementing intrusion detection systems that can monitor for unusual memory consumption patterns or HTTP request anomalies that may indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of regular firmware maintenance and security patching in embedded network devices, as highlighted by ATT&CK framework's T1072: Software Deployment Tools which emphasizes the need for proper software lifecycle management to prevent exploitation of known vulnerabilities. Additionally, this vulnerability underscores the necessity of implementing robust input validation and resource management practices in network device software development processes to prevent similar issues from occurring in future releases.