CVE-2018-18442 in DCS-825L
Summary
by MITRE
D-Link DCS-825L devices with firmware 1.08 do not employ a suitable mechanism to prevent denial-of-service (DoS) attacks. An attacker can harm the device availability (i.e., live-online video/audio streaming) by using the hping3 tool to perform an IPv4 flood attack. Verified attacks includes SYN flooding, UDP flooding, ICMP flooding, and SYN-ACK flooding.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/22/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-18442 affects D-Link DCS-825L security cameras running firmware version 1.08, representing a critical weakness in network protocol handling that exposes these devices to various denial-of-service attack vectors. This flaw specifically targets the device's inability to properly manage incoming network traffic, creating a pathway for malicious actors to disrupt the normal operation of the camera's streaming services. The vulnerability stems from insufficient network stack implementation that fails to adequately filter or rate-limit incoming packets, allowing attackers to overwhelm the device's processing capabilities through carefully crafted network traffic patterns.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability involves leveraging the hping3 tool to execute sophisticated flood attacks against the affected D-Link devices, with verified attack methods including SYN flooding, UDP flooding, ICMP flooding, and SYN-ACK flooding. These attack vectors target different layers of the network protocol stack, with SYN flooding specifically targeting the TCP three-way handshake process, while UDP and ICMP flooding overwhelm the device's ability to process incoming datagrams. The SYN-ACK flooding variant exploits the response mechanisms of the TCP protocol, creating a cascade of network traffic that can quickly exhaust the device's available resources. This particular implementation flaw allows attackers to maintain sustained attack patterns that can persistently degrade or completely disable the camera's streaming capabilities.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption, as it directly affects the core functionality of security surveillance systems that rely on continuous video and audio streaming. When successfully exploited, the DoS attack can render the camera completely inoperative, eliminating the ability of security personnel to monitor protected areas through live feeds. The attack can be executed remotely without requiring authentication, making it particularly dangerous as it can be launched from any network location. The sustained nature of these attacks means that even after the initial attack vector is mitigated, the device may remain unavailable for extended periods, potentially leaving security gaps during critical time windows.
Organizations implementing D-Link DCS-825L devices in security applications face significant operational risks when this vulnerability remains unpatched, as the attack can be executed by anyone with network access to the device's IP address. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-400, which categorizes the weakness as an insufficient resource pool, and represents a specific implementation of the broader category of denial-of-service attacks. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to the T1499.004 technique related to network denial of service, and potentially to T1566.001 for initial access through network-based attacks. The lack of proper rate-limiting and traffic filtering mechanisms in the device's network stack creates a fundamental weakness that allows attackers to consume available system resources without proper authentication or authorization.
Effective mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate firmware updates from D-Link, which should include enhanced network stack implementations with proper rate-limiting and packet filtering capabilities. Network administrators should implement additional protective measures such as firewall rules that limit incoming traffic to specific ports and protocols, and consider network segmentation to isolate these devices from general network traffic. The implementation of intrusion detection systems can help identify and alert on suspicious traffic patterns that may indicate DoS attack attempts. Organizations should also consider implementing network access controls that restrict direct access to these devices from external networks and establish monitoring procedures to detect service degradation or unavailability of streaming services. Regular vulnerability assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar weaknesses in other networked security devices within the organization's infrastructure, as this vulnerability represents a common pattern in embedded security devices that lack proper network protocol handling mechanisms.