CVE-2020-1870 in CloudEngine 6800
Summary
by MITRE
CloudEngine 12800 products with versions of V200R019C00, V200R019C10SPC800, V200R019C00SPC600, V200R019C10; and CloudEngine 6800 products with versions of V200R019C00SPC800 have a denial of service vulnerability. Due to improper memory management, memory leakage may occur in some special cases. Attackers can perform a series of operations to exploit this vulnerability. Successful exploit may cause a denial of service.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/21/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-1870 affects Huawei CloudEngine 12800 and 6800 series network switches operating on specific software versions. This issue represents a critical denial of service weakness that stems from inadequate memory management practices within the affected networking equipment. The vulnerability manifests when the system encounters certain operational conditions that trigger improper memory handling, leading to memory leakage patterns that can progressively degrade system performance until complete service disruption occurs. Network administrators and security professionals must understand that this vulnerability impacts enterprise-grade switching infrastructure that typically operates in mission-critical environments where continuous availability is paramount.
The technical flaw resides in the memory management subsystem of the affected Huawei networking devices, specifically within the software implementations of V200R019C00, V200R019C10SPC800, V200R019C00SPC600, and V200R019C10 firmware versions. This improper memory handling creates a condition where allocated memory segments are not properly released or reused, resulting in gradual memory consumption that eventually exhausts available system resources. The vulnerability classification aligns with CWE-401, which specifically addresses improper management of memory allocation and deallocation, making it a direct implementation of memory management weaknesses that have been well-documented in cybersecurity literature. Attackers can exploit this weakness through carefully crafted sequences of network operations that trigger the memory leakage behavior, potentially requiring minimal privileges to initiate the attack vector.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption to potentially compromise network stability and business continuity. When memory leakage occurs, the affected switches may experience progressive performance degradation, increased latency, and ultimately complete service failure that can affect entire network segments or data center operations. This vulnerability particularly threatens environments where network switches operate continuously under high traffic loads, as the memory exhaustion process can occur more rapidly under stress conditions. The implications are significant for organizations relying on these devices for core network infrastructure, as denial of service attacks can result in substantial financial losses, service interruptions, and potential security breaches that may mask more sophisticated attack vectors.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2020-1870 should prioritize immediate firmware updates from Huawei to address the underlying memory management issues. Network administrators must implement monitoring systems to detect early signs of memory exhaustion, including tracking memory utilization patterns and implementing automated alerts when memory usage exceeds predefined thresholds. The remediation process should include comprehensive testing of updated firmware in controlled environments before deployment to production networks. Additionally, implementing network segmentation and access controls can limit the potential attack surface, while maintaining detailed network logs enables forensic analysis if exploitation attempts occur. Organizations should also consider implementing network monitoring tools that can detect anomalous behavior patterns consistent with memory leakage exploitation attempts, as outlined in the mitre ATT&CK framework for network infrastructure compromises. The vulnerability underscores the importance of regular security assessments and patch management processes for enterprise networking equipment to maintain robust cybersecurity postures against evolving threat landscapes.