CVE-2017-2690 in SoftCo
Summary
by MITRE
SoftCo with software V200R003C20,eSpace U1910 with software V200R003C00, V200R003C20 and V200R003C30,eSpace U1911 with software V200R003C20, V200R003C30,eSpace U1930 with software V200R003C20 and V200R003C30,eSpace U1960 with software V200R003C20, V200R003C30,eSpace U1980 with software V200R003C20, V200R003C30,eSpace U1981 with software V200R003C20 and V200R003C30 have an denial of service (DoS) vulnerability, which allow an attacker with specific permission to craft a file containing malicious data and upload it to the device to exhaust memory, causing a DoS condition.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/11/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-2690 affects Huawei communication devices including SoftCo systems and various eSpace U series endpoints running specific software versions. This denial of service flaw represents a critical security weakness that can be exploited by authenticated attackers who possess specific permissions to upload malicious files to the affected systems. The vulnerability resides in the device's file handling mechanisms and memory management processes, creating an opportunity for attackers to consume system resources and render the devices inoperable through carefully crafted file uploads.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the exploitation of improper input validation and resource allocation mechanisms within the affected software versions. When a malicious file is uploaded and processed by the device, the system fails to properly validate the file contents or implement adequate memory limits during processing. This allows an attacker to craft files containing oversized or malformed data structures that cause the device's memory allocation routines to consume excessive resources. The vulnerability manifests as a gradual memory exhaustion process that ultimately leads to system instability and complete service disruption, effectively creating a denial of service condition that prevents legitimate users from accessing communication services.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risk to enterprise communication infrastructure, particularly in environments where these devices serve as critical components of voice and data networks. The attack vector requires an authenticated user with specific permissions, which means that internal threats or compromised accounts present the most likely exploitation scenarios. Organizations running affected software versions face potential business disruption ranging from partial service degradation to complete communication outages, which can severely impact productivity and customer service availability. The memory exhaustion mechanism can occur gradually, making detection difficult until the system becomes completely unresponsive and requires manual intervention or power cycling to restore functionality.
Security practitioners should consider this vulnerability in relation to CWE-400, which addresses unchecked resource allocation, and the broader category of denial of service attacks that target system resources. The attack pattern aligns with techniques described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the T1499 category for network denial of service, where adversaries leverage system weaknesses to exhaust available resources. Organizations should prioritize immediate remediation by updating to patched software versions provided by Huawei, implementing network segmentation to limit access to these devices, and establishing monitoring procedures to detect unusual memory consumption patterns. Additionally, access controls should be reviewed to ensure that only authorized personnel possess the specific permissions required to upload files to these systems, reducing the attack surface for potential exploitation.