CVE-2018-7920 in AR1200
Summary
by MITRE
Huawei AR1200 V200R006C10SPC300, AR160 V200R006C10SPC300, AR200 V200R006C10SPC300, AR2200 V200R006C10SPC300, AR3200 V200R006C10SPC300 devices have an improper resource management vulnerability. Due to the improper implementation of ACL mechanism, a remote attacker may send TCP messages to the management interface of the affected device to exploit this vulnerability. Successful exploit could exhaust the socket resource of management interface, leading to a DoS condition.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/03/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-7920 affects Huawei router and switch devices including AR1200, AR160, AR200, AR2200, and AR3200 series running specific software versions. This represents a critical improper resource management flaw that resides within the Access Control List (ACL) implementation mechanism of these network devices. The vulnerability stems from inadequate handling of socket resources when processing TCP messages directed to the management interface, creating a potential denial of service condition that can be exploited remotely by unauthorized attackers.
The technical flaw manifests through the improper resource management within the ACL processing subsystem where the device fails to adequately validate or limit the number of socket connections that can be established through the management interface. When a remote attacker sends specially crafted TCP messages to the management interface, the system's socket resource allocation mechanism becomes overwhelmed, leading to socket exhaustion. This occurs because the ACL implementation does not properly enforce connection limits or resource cleanup mechanisms, allowing malicious traffic to consume available socket resources without proper throttling or termination procedures.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption as it creates a persistent denial of service condition that can render the management interface completely inaccessible to legitimate administrators. Network administrators lose the ability to manage and configure affected devices through their standard management protocols, potentially leading to extended service outages while the device requires manual intervention or reboot to restore normal operations. The remote exploitation aspect makes this vulnerability particularly dangerous as attackers can trigger the condition from outside the network perimeter without requiring physical access or local network credentials.
From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-400, which addresses "Uncontrolled Resource Consumption," and demonstrates characteristics consistent with the ATT&CK technique T1499.004 for "Endpoint Denial of Service." The flaw represents a classic resource exhaustion attack vector where network devices become vulnerable to DoS conditions through improper implementation of connection handling mechanisms. Organizations utilizing these Huawei devices face significant operational risks including potential service interruptions, increased administrative overhead, and potential business continuity impacts when these devices become unavailable due to resource exhaustion.
Mitigation strategies should prioritize immediate software patching from Huawei to address the ACL implementation flaw, while network administrators should implement additional monitoring and rate limiting measures on management interfaces to detect and prevent exploitation attempts. The recommended approach includes applying the vendor-provided security patches, configuring appropriate access controls to limit management interface exposure, and implementing network segmentation to reduce the attack surface. Additionally, organizations should establish monitoring protocols to detect unusual socket connection patterns and implement automated alerting systems to identify potential exploitation attempts before they can cause significant disruption to network operations.