CVE-2024-24456 in Athonet Core
Summary
by MITRE • 04/01/2025
An E-RAB Release Command packet containing a malformed NAS PDU will cause the Athonet MME to immediately crash, potentially due to a buffer overflow.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/01/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-24456 represents a critical security flaw in Athonet MME implementations that directly impacts the stability and availability of mobile network infrastructure. This issue manifests when the system receives an E-RAB Release Command packet containing a malformed NAS PDU, triggering an immediate system crash. The root cause appears to stem from insufficient input validation mechanisms within the MME's packet processing logic, creating a condition where malformed data can lead to system termination rather than graceful error handling.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, which describes stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and CWE-122, which covers heap-based buffer overflow scenarios. These classifications indicate that the system's memory management routines fail to properly validate the size and structure of incoming network packets, allowing malicious or malformed data to overwrite adjacent memory locations. The E-RAB Release Command packet specifically targets the NAS (Network Access Stratum) protocol layer, which serves as the interface between the user equipment and the core network, making this attack vector particularly dangerous as it can disrupt ongoing mobile communications.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a significant risk to network availability and service continuity within mobile telecommunications networks. The immediate crash behavior means that legitimate users may experience sudden service interruptions, call drops, and connection failures throughout the affected network segments. The impact extends beyond simple service disruption as network operators may face challenges in maintaining network reliability and customer satisfaction. The vulnerability's potential for remote exploitation means that attackers could theoretically cause widespread disruption by sending crafted packets to MME systems, potentially affecting thousands of concurrent users across multiple network cells.
The attack surface for this vulnerability encompasses all Athonet MME implementations that process E-RAB Release Command packets, particularly those deployed in 4G LTE networks where NAS protocol handling is critical for maintaining user sessions. Network operators should consider this vulnerability in the context of MITRE ATT&CK framework's T1499.004 technique, which covers network disruption attacks, as the immediate system crash represents a direct form of service denial that can be exploited to disrupt network operations. The vulnerability's exploitation requires minimal technical expertise, making it attractive to threat actors seeking to cause maximum disruption with minimal effort.
Mitigation strategies should include immediate implementation of input validation controls that properly sanitize NAS PDUs before processing, along with network segmentation and monitoring systems that can detect and block malformed packets. Organizations should also consider implementing intrusion detection systems specifically configured to identify patterns associated with this vulnerability, as well as maintaining detailed network monitoring to detect unusual crash patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. Regular firmware updates from Athonet should be prioritized to address the underlying buffer overflow conditions, while network operators should develop incident response procedures specifically addressing MME system crashes to minimize service disruption during remediation efforts.