CVE-2020-23741 in Monitoring Software
Summary
by MITRE • 12/04/2020
In AnyView (network police) network monitoring software 4.6.0.1, there is a local denial of service vulnerability in AnyView, attackers can use a constructed program to cause a computer crash (BSOD).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/12/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-23741 affects AnyView network monitoring software version 4.6.0.1, specifically targeting the AnyView network police component. This represents a critical local denial of service flaw that can be exploited by adversaries with local access to systems running the affected software. The vulnerability manifests as a system crash resulting in a blue screen of death (BSOD), effectively rendering the monitored network infrastructure unavailable and disrupting normal operational procedures. The attack vector requires local system access, making it a privilege escalation or lateral movement target within compromised environments where attackers have already gained user-level access to the system.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from improper input validation and memory handling within the AnyView network monitoring software components. When a specially crafted program is executed on the target system, it triggers a memory corruption condition that leads to kernel-level crashes. This type of vulnerability typically occurs when the software fails to properly validate or sanitize input data before processing it within kernel-mode drivers or system components. The flaw represents a classic example of a buffer overflow or heap corruption vulnerability that can be leveraged to execute arbitrary code at kernel level or force system termination. Such vulnerabilities are categorized under CWE-121, which addresses stack-based buffer overflow conditions, though the specific manifestation in this case results in system instability rather than code execution.
The operational impact of CVE-2020-23741 extends beyond simple system unavailability, as network monitoring infrastructure serves as a critical component for maintaining security posture and operational continuity. When the AnyView network police component crashes, it creates gaps in network visibility that adversaries can exploit to conduct undetected attacks while the monitoring system is offline. This vulnerability particularly affects enterprise environments where network monitoring is essential for threat detection and incident response capabilities. The BSOD condition not only interrupts normal operations but also generates system logs that may obscure actual security incidents, creating a false sense of security while legitimate threats go undetected. Organizations relying on this monitoring software face potential compliance violations and increased risk exposure during the time period when the system is unavailable due to the vulnerability.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2020-23741 should focus on immediate software updates and access control measures to prevent exploitation. The primary remediation involves applying the vendor-provided patch or update that addresses the underlying memory handling issue in the AnyView network monitoring software. Organizations should also implement strict access controls and privilege separation to limit local system access, as this vulnerability requires local execution capabilities to be exploited. Network segmentation and monitoring of local system activities can help detect potential exploitation attempts. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability aligns with techniques such as T1059.001 (Command and Scripting Interpreter: PowerShell) and T1068 (Exploitation for Privilege Escalation) when attackers attempt to leverage local access to execute malicious payloads. Security teams should also consider implementing endpoint detection and response solutions to monitor for unusual system behavior that might indicate exploitation attempts, while maintaining regular vulnerability assessments to identify similar issues in other network monitoring tools.