CVE-2022-28970 in AX1806
Summary
by MITRE • 05/06/2022
Tenda AX1806 v1.0.0.1 was discovered to contain a heap overflow via the mac parameter in the function GetParentControlInfo. This vulnerability allows attackers to cause a Denial of Service (DoS).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/11/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-28970 affects the Tenda AX1806 router firmware version 1.0.0.1 and represents a critical heap overflow condition that can be exploited to achieve denial of service. This flaw exists within the device's web interface handling mechanism, specifically in the GetParentControlInfo function where the mac parameter is processed without adequate input validation or bounds checking. The heap overflow occurs when an attacker submits a malformed mac parameter that exceeds the allocated memory buffer size, causing the application to overwrite adjacent memory locations and potentially leading to arbitrary code execution or system instability.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from improper memory management practices within the router's firmware codebase, which fails to validate the length of user-supplied input before processing it in memory allocation contexts. The CWE-121 classification applies here as the vulnerability manifests through improper restriction of operations within the heap memory space, where the mac parameter input is directly used to manipulate heap allocated buffers without sufficient boundary checks. This type of vulnerability falls under the broader category of memory safety issues that are particularly dangerous in embedded systems due to the limited resources and reduced security measures typically found in consumer-grade networking equipment.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a significant risk to network availability and stability, as successful exploitation can result in complete denial of service for the affected router. Attackers can remotely trigger the heap overflow by sending specifically crafted requests to the router's web management interface, causing the device to crash or reboot continuously. The impact extends beyond simple service disruption since many IoT devices lack remote recovery mechanisms, potentially leaving networks in a permanently compromised state until physical intervention occurs. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.004 which covers network disruption through resource exhaustion or system instability, making it particularly concerning for enterprise environments where router reliability is paramount.
The mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should include immediate firmware updates from the vendor to address the heap overflow condition through proper input validation and memory boundary checks. Network administrators should implement network segmentation to limit exposure of affected devices to untrusted networks and consider disabling unnecessary web management interfaces when possible. Additionally, intrusion detection systems should be configured to monitor for unusual traffic patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts targeting this specific vulnerability. The remediation process should also involve comprehensive security assessments of all network devices to identify similar memory safety issues that may exist in other components of the network infrastructure, as embedded systems frequently suffer from similar vulnerabilities due to resource constraints and development oversight in security practices.