CVE-2023-35330 in Windows
Summary
by MITRE • 07/11/2023
Windows Extended Negotiation Denial of Service Vulnerability
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/29/2023
This vulnerability represents a critical denial of service condition affecting Windows operating systems through the extended negotiation process used in network protocols. The flaw exists within the way Windows handles extended negotiation sequences during network communication, specifically impacting the Windows kernel's processing of certain negotiation packets that trigger abnormal behavior in the networking stack. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and inadequate error handling mechanisms within the extended negotiation implementation, allowing malicious actors to craft specially formatted packets that cause system instability or complete service disruption.
The technical exploitation occurs when a remote attacker sends malformed extended negotiation packets to a vulnerable Windows system, triggering an unhandled exception in the kernel networking components. This results in system crashes, blue screen errors, and complete denial of network services for affected systems. The vulnerability affects multiple Windows versions including windows 10, windows server 2016, and later releases, with the root cause lying in improper handling of extended negotiation parameters during protocol establishment phases. According to cwe-472, this represents an inadequate input validation issue where external inputs are not properly sanitized before processing.
The operational impact extends beyond simple service disruption as affected systems may require complete restarts to recover from the denial of service condition. Network administrators face significant challenges in identifying and mitigating this vulnerability due to its stealthy nature during exploitation phases. The vulnerability creates opportunities for attackers to perform persistent denial of service attacks against critical infrastructure, potentially impacting business continuity operations. Organizations using Windows systems in enterprise environments may experience cascading failures when multiple systems become compromised simultaneously.
Mitigation strategies include implementing immediate security patches from microsoft as well as network-level filtering to block suspicious extended negotiation traffic patterns. System administrators should deploy network segmentation controls and monitor for unusual extended negotiation activity that could indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with attack techniques documented in the mitre att&ck framework under initial access and privilege escalation categories, particularly focusing on network protocol manipulation and system stability compromise. Additional protective measures involve disabling unnecessary extended negotiation features where possible and implementing robust network monitoring solutions to detect anomalous traffic patterns associated with exploitation attempts.
Organizations should prioritize patch management processes and conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify systems potentially affected by this condition. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper input validation and error handling in kernel-level components, emphasizing the need for defensive programming practices throughout system development cycles. Regular security audits and penetration testing should include evaluation of extended negotiation protocols to ensure proper implementation of security controls. Microsoft recommends immediate deployment of security updates and network administrators should consider implementing temporary workarounds while full patches are deployed across enterprise environments to prevent exploitation attempts that could result in significant operational disruption.