CVE-2017-2858 in Xltek NeuroWorks
Summary
by MITRE
An exploitable denial-of-service vulnerability exists in the traversal of lists functionality of Natus Xltek NeuroWorks 8. A specially crafted network packet can cause an out-of-bounds read, resulting in a denial of service. An attacker can send a malicious packet to trigger this vulnerability.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/19/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-2858 represents a critical denial-of-service weakness within Natus Xltek NeuroWorks 8 software, specifically affecting the list traversal functionality. This flaw resides in the software's handling of network packets that contain malformed list structures, creating a scenario where legitimate system operations can be disrupted through carefully crafted malicious input. The vulnerability demonstrates characteristics consistent with memory safety issues that have been historically categorized under CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions that can occur when software attempts to access memory locations beyond the bounds of allocated buffers.
The technical execution of this vulnerability occurs through network-based exploitation where an attacker can send specially crafted packets that manipulate the list traversal mechanisms within NeuroWorks 8. When the system processes these malformed packets, the software's internal list handling routines fail to properly validate the boundaries of the data structures, leading to an out-of-bounds memory read operation. This condition causes the application to crash or become unresponsive, effectively denying service to legitimate users who depend on the neurology monitoring capabilities provided by the system. The flaw operates at the network protocol level where the software fails to implement proper input validation and boundary checking mechanisms.
From an operational standpoint, this vulnerability presents significant risk to healthcare environments that rely on NeuroWorks 8 for patient monitoring and data analysis. The denial-of-service condition can disrupt critical medical workflows where continuous monitoring of neurological data is essential for patient care. Healthcare facilities using this software may experience service interruptions that could delay critical medical decisions or compromise patient safety during periods when the system is unavailable. The impact extends beyond simple service disruption as medical professionals may lose access to vital patient information during critical care situations.
The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK framework techniques related to denial-of-service attacks, specifically targeting the availability aspect of the CIA triad. Attackers can exploit this weakness through network-based means without requiring elevated privileges or extensive system access, making it particularly dangerous in networked medical environments. The attack surface is limited to network communication with the affected system, but the potential for widespread disruption exists given that medical facilities often rely on continuous availability of critical monitoring systems. Organizations should consider implementing network segmentation and monitoring to detect anomalous packet patterns that could indicate exploitation attempts.
Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate software updates from the vendor to address the underlying memory handling issues, combined with network-level filtering to prevent malformed packets from reaching the affected systems. Security teams should also implement monitoring solutions that can detect unusual traffic patterns or service disruptions that may indicate exploitation attempts. Regular vulnerability assessments should be conducted to identify similar memory safety issues within the broader medical device ecosystem. Additionally, organizations should develop incident response procedures specifically addressing denial-of-service conditions in critical medical environments where system availability is paramount to patient care delivery.