CVE-2023-25526 in Cumulus Linux
Summary
by MITRE • 09/20/2023
NVIDIA Cumulus Linux contains a vulnerability in neighmgrd and nlmanager where an attacker on an adjacent network may cause an uncaught exception by injecting a crafted packet. A successful exploit may lead to denial of service.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/20/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-25526 affects NVIDIA Cumulus Linux operating systems where the neighmgrd and nlmanager components fail to properly validate incoming network packets. This flaw exists within the network neighbor management functionality that handles neighbor discovery and management protocols. The issue manifests when these critical system components process malformed or specially crafted network packets without adequate input sanitization, leading to unhandled exception conditions that crash the affected processes.
This vulnerability operates at the network protocol level and represents a classic buffer over-read or improper input validation flaw that falls under CWE-248 Uncaught Exception categories. The attack vector requires an adjacent network position where the malicious actor can inject packets directly into the network segment. The affected neighmgrd and nlmanager services are responsible for managing neighbor tables and network layer communication, making them critical components for network operation and stability. When exploited, these services experience abrupt termination due to uncaught exceptions, causing immediate disruption to network neighbor discovery mechanisms.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service as it affects core network functionality essential for proper device communication and routing operations. Network administrators may experience intermittent connectivity issues, failed neighbor resolution, and potential network partitioning events. The vulnerability affects Cumulus Linux deployments in data center and enterprise environments where neighbor discovery protocols are actively used for network management and device communication. Attackers can exploit this weakness to repeatedly cause service disruptions, potentially leading to cascading failures in network infrastructure that relies on stable neighbor management protocols.
Mitigation strategies should focus on network segmentation and access control measures to prevent unauthorized adjacent network access. Implementing proper network monitoring and intrusion detection systems can help identify malicious packet injection attempts before they cause service disruption. Regular system updates and patches from NVIDIA should be applied immediately upon availability to address the underlying validation flaws in the neighmgrd and nlmanager components. Network administrators should also consider implementing rate limiting and packet filtering rules to reduce the impact of potential exploitation attempts, while maintaining detailed logging of neighbor discovery protocol activities for security analysis purposes. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1498 for network denial of service and represents a significant risk to network availability in enterprise and data center environments relying on Cumulus Linux networking capabilities.