CVE-2020-10723 in Enterprise Communications Broker
Summary
by MITRE
A memory corruption issue was found in DPDK versions 17.05 and above. This flaw is caused by an integer truncation on the index of a payload. Under certain circumstances, the index (a UInt) is copied and truncated into a uint16, which can lead to out of bound indexing and possible memory corruption.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/15/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-10723 represents a critical memory corruption flaw within the Data Plane Development Kit (DPDK) framework, affecting versions 17.05 and later. This issue manifests as an integer truncation error that occurs during packet processing operations, where the system fails to properly validate index values before casting them to smaller data types. The flaw exists in the packet handling mechanisms that process network traffic at high speeds, making it particularly dangerous in high-performance networking environments where DPDK is commonly deployed.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability stems from improper type handling within the DPDK codebase, specifically involving the conversion of unsigned integer values to 16-bit unsigned integers without adequate bounds checking. When processing network packets, the system calculates payload indices that are initially stored as unsigned integers, but these values are subsequently truncated to uint16_t data types. This truncation process can result in significant data loss when the original integer exceeds the maximum value that can be represented by a 16-bit unsigned integer, which is 65535. The consequence of this truncation is that indices that should reference valid memory locations may instead point to arbitrary memory addresses, creating opportunities for out-of-bounds memory access.
The operational impact of CVE-2020-10723 extends beyond simple memory corruption, as it can potentially enable attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause system crashes through carefully crafted network packets. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-195, Integer Underflow/Overflow, and specifically relates to CWE-704, Incorrect Type Conversion or Cast, which are commonly exploited in network protocol processing. The flaw's exploitation potential increases significantly in environments where DPDK is used for high-speed packet processing, such as network function virtualization (NFV) platforms, software-defined networking (SDN) controllers, and high-performance computing applications. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to perform remote code execution, data exfiltration, or denial-of-service attacks against systems running vulnerable DPDK versions.
Systems utilizing DPDK for packet processing, including those in telecommunications infrastructure, cloud computing environments, and network security appliances, face substantial risk from this vulnerability. The memory corruption can lead to unpredictable system behavior, application crashes, and potential privilege escalation depending on the execution environment. Organizations using DPDK in production environments should prioritize immediate remediation through version updates, as the vulnerability affects a core networking component that is integral to many high-performance network applications. The flaw's presence in versions 17.05 and above indicates it has been present for several years, highlighting the importance of continuous security auditing and patch management processes. Mitigation strategies should include immediate deployment of patched DPDK versions, implementation of network segmentation to limit exposure, and enhanced monitoring for anomalous packet processing patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts.