CVE-2017-9131 in Client Radios
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered on Mimosa Client Radios before 2.2.3 and Mimosa Backhaul Radios before 2.2.3. By connecting to the Mosquitto broker on an access point and one of its clients, an attacker can gather enough information to craft a command that reboots the client remotely when sent to the client's Mosquitto broker, aka "unauthenticated remote command execution." This command can be re-sent endlessly to act as a DoS attack on the client.
Once again VulDB remains the best source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/30/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-9131 represents a critical security flaw affecting Mimosa Client Radios and Mimosa Backhaul Radios versions prior to 2.2.3. This issue stems from inadequate authentication mechanisms within the Mosquitto broker implementation used by these wireless networking devices. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and specifically targets the message broker component that facilitates communication between network devices and their associated access points. The flaw allows attackers to exploit a lack of proper access controls to gain unauthorized access to the command and control functionality of connected client devices.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the attacker establishing a connection to the Mosquitto broker running on an access point and subsequently connecting to a client device within the same network. Through this dual connection approach, the attacker can gather sufficient information about the network topology, client device identifiers, and broker communication protocols to craft a specific command that triggers a remote reboot of the client device. This process demonstrates a clear violation of the principle of least privilege and represents a fundamental breakdown in the authentication and authorization mechanisms of the wireless infrastructure. The vulnerability is categorized under CWE-287 which addresses improper authentication issues in networked systems.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access to encompass potential denial of service conditions that can severely disrupt network operations. Once an attacker successfully crafts and sends the reboot command to a target client, they can repeatedly resend this command to maintain persistent disruption of the client device's functionality. This capability transforms what might initially appear as a simple authentication bypass into a powerful DoS attack vector that can render client devices inoperable. The implications are particularly severe in industrial and enterprise environments where wireless infrastructure reliability is critical for operations, as this vulnerability can be exploited to create cascading failures across networked systems.
The attack surface for this vulnerability is particularly concerning given that it requires minimal technical expertise to exploit and can be executed remotely from within the network perimeter. Network defenders should note that this vulnerability operates at the network communication layer and can be particularly difficult to detect through standard network monitoring approaches since the malicious traffic appears to be legitimate broker communication. The attack pattern aligns with techniques described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the T1072 adversary technique for "Software Deployment" and T1499 for "Network Denial of Service" attacks. Organizations should implement network segmentation strategies to isolate critical wireless infrastructure and deploy proper access controls to prevent unauthorized connections to broker services. The recommended mitigation includes upgrading to Mimosa firmware versions 2.2.3 or later, implementing network access controls, and deploying monitoring solutions that can detect anomalous broker communication patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts.