CVE-2019-5291 in Product
Summary
by MITRE
Some Huawei products have an insufficient verification of data authenticity vulnerability. A remote, unauthenticated attacker has to intercept specific packets between two devices, modify the packets, and send the modified packets to the peer device. Due to insufficient verification of some fields in the packets, an attacker may exploit the vulnerability to cause the target device to be abnormal.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/12/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-5291 affects various Huawei networking equipment products and represents a critical weakness in packet validation mechanisms. This issue stems from inadequate authentication checks within the communication protocols used by these devices, creating a pathway for malicious actors to manipulate network traffic without requiring prior authentication credentials. The vulnerability specifically targets the verification processes that occur during packet transmission between network devices, where certain fields within the packet structure are not sufficiently validated. According to CWE-310, this flaw falls under cryptographic weakness categories, particularly focusing on insufficient verification of data authenticity. The attack vector requires an attacker to perform packet interception and modification, which aligns with techniques described in the ATT&CK framework under T1041 for data compression and T1566 for credential access through network sniffing.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability allows an attacker to exploit weaknesses in the packet validation logic by crafting malicious packets that bypass normal authentication checks. When the target device receives these modified packets, it processes them without proper verification of the packet integrity, leading to potential system instability or abnormal behavior. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it operates at the network protocol level, where packet modifications can be executed without requiring deep system access or specialized credentials. The affected Huawei products likely include routers, switches, and other networking infrastructure components that rely on specific packet formats for communication. This weakness creates opportunities for attackers to manipulate network traffic in ways that could disrupt services, potentially leading to denial of service conditions or unauthorized access to network resources.
From an operational standpoint, this vulnerability poses significant risks to network infrastructure security and reliability. The ability of an unauthenticated attacker to cause abnormal device behavior without requiring system-level privileges makes this vulnerability particularly dangerous in production environments. Network administrators may not immediately detect such attacks since they can appear as normal traffic anomalies, making the impact harder to diagnose and mitigate. The vulnerability's remote nature means that attackers can exploit it from outside the network perimeter, potentially allowing for widespread disruption across multiple devices. Organizations using Huawei networking equipment may experience service interruptions, data integrity issues, or even complete network outages depending on the severity of the exploitation. The lack of authentication requirements for exploitation further compounds the risk, as attackers can target these devices without needing to establish a foothold within the network infrastructure.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2019-5291 should focus on strengthening packet validation mechanisms and implementing network monitoring solutions to detect anomalous traffic patterns. Organizations should prioritize applying vendor-provided security patches and firmware updates as soon as they become available, since Huawei has likely released fixes for this vulnerability. Network segmentation and access control measures can help limit the potential impact of successful exploitation attempts by isolating affected devices from critical network segments. Implementing intrusion detection systems that monitor for suspicious packet modifications and deploying network traffic analysis tools can provide early warning capabilities. Security teams should also consider implementing cryptographic solutions such as digital signatures or message authentication codes to ensure packet integrity throughout the communication process. The remediation efforts should align with industry standards for network security and may require coordination with Huawei support teams to ensure complete vulnerability resolution. Regular security assessments and network traffic analysis should be conducted to identify any potential exploitation attempts and validate that mitigation measures remain effective against evolving attack techniques.