CVE-2018-7994 in IPS Module
Summary
by MITRE
Some Huawei products IPS Module V500R001C50; NGFW Module V500R001C50; V500R002C10; NIP6300 V500R001C50; NIP6600 V500R001C50; NIP6800 V500R001C50; Secospace USG6600 V500R001C50; USG9500 V500R001C50 have a memory leak vulnerability. The software does not release allocated memory properly when processing Protal questionnaire. A remote attacker could send a lot questionnaires to the device, successful exploit could cause the device to reboot since running out of memory.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/28/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-7994 affects multiple Huawei network security products including IPS modules, Next Generation Firewalls, Network Intrusion Prevention systems, and Unified Security Gateways. This memory leak flaw exists within the software processing logic for Portal questionnaires, which are typically used for authentication and access control in network environments. The issue manifests when the affected devices fail to properly release allocated memory resources during the handling of Portal questionnaire requests, creating a condition where memory consumption gradually increases over time.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from improper memory management within the Portal authentication module of Huawei's security appliances. When processing Portal questionnaire requests, the software allocates memory for processing these authentication flows but fails to correctly deallocate the memory upon completion of the request processing. This memory allocation without corresponding deallocation creates a memory leak that accumulates with each processed questionnaire. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it can be exploited remotely, allowing attackers to send multiple questionnaire requests to the device in a sustained manner. According to CWE-401, this represents a classic memory leak vulnerability where the software does not properly manage memory resources, leading to gradual resource exhaustion.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple performance degradation to potentially causing complete service disruption. When exploited successfully, the memory leak eventually consumes all available memory resources on the device, forcing it to reboot automatically as a result of the system's memory management mechanisms. This creates a denial of service condition that can be particularly damaging in network security infrastructure where continuous availability is critical. The vulnerability affects multiple product lines including V500R001C50 and V500R002C10 versions, indicating a widespread issue across Huawei's security product portfolio. From an ATT&CK perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1499.004 (Network Denial of Service) and T1566.001 (Phishing), as it can be leveraged to disrupt network services through resource exhaustion while also potentially enabling phishing attacks through compromised authentication flows.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should include immediate deployment of Huawei security patches and firmware updates that address the memory management flaw in the Portal questionnaire processing module. Network administrators should implement rate limiting and access controls on Portal authentication endpoints to prevent excessive questionnaire processing that could trigger the memory leak. Monitoring systems should be configured to detect unusual memory consumption patterns on affected devices, providing early warning of potential exploitation attempts. Additionally, network segmentation should be implemented to limit the potential impact of successful exploitation, ensuring that even if one device is compromised, the broader network infrastructure remains protected. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of proper memory management practices in security appliances and underscores the need for regular security assessments of network infrastructure components to identify and remediate similar issues before they can be exploited by malicious actors.