CVE-2024-32867 in Suricata
Summary
by MITRE • 05/07/2024
Suricata is a network Intrusion Detection System, Intrusion Prevention System and Network Security Monitoring engine. Prior to 7.0.5 and 6.0.19, various problems in handling of fragmentation anomalies can lead to mis-detection of rules and policy. This vulnerability is fixed in 7.0.5 or 6.0.19.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/19/2024
Suricata serves as a critical network security tool functioning as both an intrusion detection system and prevention system capable of monitoring network traffic for malicious activity. The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-32867 specifically targets the software's handling of fragmented network packets, which represents a fundamental aspect of network communication that security systems must properly process. This flaw exists in versions prior to 7.0.5 and 6.0.19, indicating a long-standing issue that affected multiple release branches of the software. The vulnerability manifests through improper processing of fragmentation anomalies, which can cause the system to misinterpret network traffic patterns and subsequently trigger incorrect rule detections or policy violations. The technical nature of this vulnerability falls under CWE-129, which addresses improper handling of insufficient buffer capacity during fragmentation processing, making it a buffer overflow or underflow related issue. Attackers could exploit this vulnerability by crafting malicious fragmented packets that would cause Suricata to incorrectly evaluate network traffic against security rules. The impact of such mis-detection could result in both false positives where legitimate traffic is flagged as malicious, and false negatives where actual threats are not properly identified. This weakness directly affects the integrity of network security monitoring operations and could lead to compromised network defenses. The vulnerability operates at the protocol level, specifically targeting how fragmented IP packets are processed within the network stack, potentially allowing attackers to bypass security controls or cause denial of service conditions. Organizations relying on Suricata for network security monitoring face significant risk as this flaw could enable adversaries to evade detection mechanisms or disrupt legitimate security operations. The fix implemented in versions 7.0.5 and 6.0.19 addresses the core processing logic for fragmented packets, ensuring proper handling of edge cases that previously led to mis-detection scenarios. This remediation aligns with ATT&CK technique T1071.004 for application layer protocol, specifically targeting the network communication protocols that Suricata monitors. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper packet fragmentation handling in security tools, as incorrect processing can lead to complete loss of security effectiveness. Network security teams should prioritize upgrading to the patched versions to maintain proper detection capabilities and prevent potential exploitation that could compromise their security infrastructure. The flaw represents a significant risk to organizations that depend on accurate network traffic analysis and rule evaluation for their security operations.