CVE-2018-10585 in Infinity
Summary
by MITRE
Pexip Infinity before 18 allows remote Denial of Service (XML parsing).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/25/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-10585 affects Pexip Infinity versions prior to 18, presenting a significant remote denial of service risk through XML parsing flaws. This vulnerability resides within the system's handling of XML data structures, which are commonly used for communication and configuration within unified communications platforms. The affected system processes XML inputs without adequate validation or sanitization, creating an attack surface that malicious actors can exploit to disrupt service availability. The issue specifically manifests during XML parsing operations, where improperly formatted or maliciously crafted XML data can cause the system to crash or become unresponsive, effectively rendering the communication platform unavailable to legitimate users.
The technical flaw stems from insufficient input validation mechanisms within the XML parser implementation. When the system receives XML data containing malformed elements, recursive structures, or excessively large data payloads, the parsing process fails to handle these edge cases gracefully. This weakness allows attackers to craft specific XML payloads that trigger memory exhaustion, infinite loops, or stack overflows within the parsing engine. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and requires no authentication or authorization to exploit, making it particularly dangerous as it can be leveraged by anyone with network access to the affected system. The XML parsing vulnerability aligns with CWE-611, which specifically addresses improper restriction of XML external entity references, and may also relate to CWE-400, concerning resource exhaustion vulnerabilities.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption, potentially affecting critical communication infrastructure within enterprise environments. Organizations relying on Pexip Infinity for video conferencing, collaboration, and unified communications may experience complete service outages during attack windows, leading to productivity losses and potential business continuity issues. The remote nature of the exploit means that attackers can target the system from anywhere on the internet, eliminating the need for physical access or network proximity. This vulnerability can be particularly damaging in mission-critical environments where communication platforms must maintain high availability and reliability standards, as it can be exploited to cause cascading failures across interconnected systems. The attack vector operates through standard network protocols, making detection and prevention challenging without proper network segmentation and monitoring controls.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-10585 should prioritize immediate patching of affected Pexip Infinity systems to version 18 or later, which includes corrected XML parsing mechanisms and enhanced input validation. Organizations should implement network-level protections such as firewalls and intrusion detection systems to monitor for suspicious XML traffic patterns and block known malicious payloads. Input validation should be strengthened at multiple layers including application-level sanitization, XML schema validation, and resource limits on parsing operations to prevent memory exhaustion attacks. Security teams should also consider implementing rate limiting and connection throttling mechanisms to reduce the impact of potential denial of service attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of following secure coding practices and adhering to industry standards such as those outlined in the OWASP Top Ten and NIST Cybersecurity Framework, which emphasize proper input validation and resource management as fundamental security controls. Additionally, organizations should conduct regular vulnerability assessments and penetration testing to identify similar weaknesses in their communication infrastructure and ensure comprehensive protection against similar threats.