CVE-2018-20552 in tcpreplay
Summary
by MITRE
Tcpreplay before 4.3.1 has a heap-based buffer over-read in packet2tree in tree.c.
If you want to get best quality of vulnerability data, you may have to visit VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/22/2023
CVE-2018-20552 represents a heap-based buffer over-read vulnerability affecting Tcpreplay versions prior to 4.3.1. This vulnerability resides within the packet2tree function in the tree.c source file, where improper bounds checking allows an attacker to read memory beyond the allocated buffer boundaries. The flaw occurs during packet processing when Tcpreplay attempts to parse and organize network packets into a tree data structure for replay operations. The vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of packet data length against allocated buffer space, creating a condition where maliciously crafted packets can trigger unauthorized memory access patterns.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the packet2tree function processing incoming network packets without adequate boundary verification. When Tcpreplay encounters packet data that exceeds expected buffer dimensions, the function continues to read beyond allocated memory regions, potentially exposing sensitive data from adjacent memory locations. This over-read condition can be exploited through carefully constructed packet payloads that manipulate the parsing logic to access memory that should remain protected. The heap-based nature of the vulnerability indicates that the affected memory regions are dynamically allocated during runtime, making the exploitation more complex but still feasible for attackers with knowledge of memory layout patterns.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to network security infrastructure that relies on Tcpreplay for packet analysis and replay operations. Attackers could potentially extract confidential information from memory segments containing sensitive data such as authentication tokens, cryptographic keys, or internal system information. The vulnerability is particularly concerning in environments where Tcpreplay is used for network forensics, intrusion detection, or packet capture analysis, as it could enable information disclosure attacks that compromise system integrity. The over-read condition may also lead to system instability or denial of service scenarios when memory corruption occurs during packet processing operations.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions in software implementations. This classification indicates that the flaw results from inadequate input validation and memory boundary checking during packet processing operations. From an adversarial perspective, this vulnerability maps to ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for Command and Scripting Interpreter and T1566 for Phishing, as attackers could leverage the information disclosure capabilities to gather intelligence for more sophisticated attacks. The vulnerability's exploitation requires minimal privileges and can be executed through network packet injection, making it particularly dangerous in environments where packet processing occurs without proper sanitization.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-20552 primarily focus on immediate software updates to Tcpreplay version 4.3.1 or later, which includes proper bounds checking and memory validation mechanisms. Organizations should implement network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure to potentially malicious packet streams, while also deploying intrusion detection systems that can identify anomalous packet patterns indicative of exploitation attempts. Additional defensive measures include implementing network monitoring solutions that can detect and alert on unusual packet processing behavior, as well as regular security assessments of network infrastructure components that utilize Tcpreplay functionality. System administrators should also consider implementing memory protection mechanisms such as stack canaries and address space layout randomization to reduce the effectiveness of potential exploitation attempts.