CVE-2018-15497 in MiVoice 5330e
Summary
by MITRE
The Mitel MiVoice 5330e VoIP device is affected by memory corruption flaws in the SIP/SDP packet handling functionality. An attacker can exploit this issue remotely, by sending a particular pattern of SIP/SDP packets, to cause a denial of service state in the affected devices and probably remote code execution.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/06/2020
The CVE-2018-15497 vulnerability affects the Mitel MiVoice 5330e VoIP device, representing a critical memory corruption issue within its SIP/SDP packet processing capabilities. This vulnerability resides in the device's handling of Session Initiation Protocol and Session Description Protocol packets, which are fundamental components of VoIP communication infrastructure. The flaw manifests when the device receives specially crafted SIP/SDP packets that trigger improper memory management during packet parsing and processing. The vulnerability's remote exploitability means that attackers can leverage this weakness from outside the network perimeter without requiring physical access or authentication credentials. This represents a significant security risk for organizations relying on VoIP infrastructure, as the attack surface extends beyond traditional network boundaries and can potentially affect business continuity and communication systems.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, which describes heap-based buffer overflow conditions, and CWE-125, which addresses out-of-bounds read vulnerabilities. These classifications indicate that the device's memory management routines fail to properly validate input data during SIP/SDP packet processing, leading to memory corruption that can result in system instability. The flaw likely occurs when the device attempts to allocate memory for parsed packet data without adequate bounds checking or input sanitization. Attackers can construct malicious SIP/SDP packets that contain oversized or malformed data structures, causing the device's memory management system to overwrite adjacent memory locations or corrupt heap structures. This memory corruption can manifest in various ways including application crashes, system reboots, or potentially more severe outcomes such as arbitrary code execution, depending on the specific memory corruption patterns and the device's operating environment.
The operational impact of CVE-2018-15497 extends beyond simple denial of service conditions, as the vulnerability may enable remote code execution capabilities that could allow attackers to gain unauthorized control of the affected VoIP devices. This compromise can lead to complete system takeover, enabling attackers to modify device configurations, intercept VoIP communications, or use the device as a pivot point for further network infiltration. Organizations may experience significant disruption to their communication infrastructure, potentially affecting emergency services, customer support operations, and internal business communications. The vulnerability's presence in a widely deployed VoIP device increases the potential attack surface considerably, as many enterprises and organizations rely on Mitel systems for their telephony infrastructure. Network administrators may face challenges in identifying compromised devices and implementing effective mitigation strategies, particularly in large enterprise environments where VoIP systems are integrated with multiple network components and security controls.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-15497 should focus on immediate network segmentation and access control implementation to limit exposure of vulnerable VoIP devices to untrusted networks. Organizations should deploy network access control lists and firewalls to restrict SIP/SDP traffic to only trusted sources and implement proper network monitoring to detect anomalous packet patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. Device firmware updates from Mitel should be prioritized to address the memory corruption vulnerabilities in the SIP/SDP handling code, with careful testing to ensure compatibility with existing network configurations. The implementation of intrusion detection systems specifically configured to monitor for SIP/SDP protocol anomalies can provide early warning capabilities for potential exploitation attempts. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing network-wide VoIP traffic monitoring solutions that can detect and alert on malformed SIP/SDP packets, as outlined in the mitre ATT&CK framework's network infiltration tactics. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify any other potentially vulnerable VoIP devices within the network infrastructure, while maintaining detailed logging of all SIP/SDP traffic for forensic analysis purposes.