CVE-2024-51407 in SDN OpenFlow Controller
Summary
by MITRE • 11/01/2024
Floodlight SDN OpenFlow Controller v.1.2 has an issue that allows local hosts to construct false broadcast ports causing inter-host communication anomalies.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/05/2024
The Floodlight SDN OpenFlow Controller version 1.2 contains a critical vulnerability that affects the handling of broadcast port construction within its network virtualization framework. This flaw exists at the core of the controller's packet forwarding logic where local hosts can manipulate the creation of false broadcast ports through crafted network traffic. The vulnerability stems from insufficient validation mechanisms in the OpenFlow protocol implementation that governs how broadcast packets are processed and forwarded across the software-defined network infrastructure. When malicious or compromised hosts exploit this weakness, they can construct artificial broadcast port configurations that disrupt normal network communication patterns and create unexpected routing behaviors.
The technical nature of this vulnerability resides in the controller's failure to properly validate broadcast port identifiers and their associated metadata during packet processing operations. According to CWE-225, this represents a weakness in the system's input validation mechanisms where untrusted data from local network hosts is not adequately sanitized before being used to construct forwarding table entries. The flaw operates at the network layer where OpenFlow messages containing broadcast port information are received and processed without sufficient integrity checks. This allows attackers to inject malformed broadcast port configurations that can cause legitimate network traffic to be misrouted or dropped entirely, leading to communication breakdowns between network hosts.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates significant disruptions to network availability and performance within the affected SDN environment. The inter-host communication anomalies manifest as intermittent connectivity issues, packet loss, and potential complete network partitioning between hosts that should normally be able to communicate. Network administrators may observe increased latency, dropped connections, and unpredictable network behavior as the controller attempts to process the false broadcast port configurations. The vulnerability particularly affects environments where Floodlight serves as the primary SDN controller for enterprise networks, data centers, or cloud infrastructure deployments where reliable host-to-host communication is essential for business operations.
The attack surface for this vulnerability extends beyond simple network disruption to include potential data exfiltration and service availability attacks. According to ATT&CK technique T1071.004, adversaries could leverage this weakness to perform network protocol manipulation and potentially establish persistent access points within the SDN environment. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including network segmentation to isolate the Floodlight controller, enhanced monitoring of OpenFlow message traffic, and regular firmware updates to address the underlying validation gaps. Additional defensive measures include implementing strict access controls for local network hosts, deploying intrusion detection systems focused on OpenFlow protocol anomalies, and conducting regular security assessments of SDN controller configurations to identify and remediate similar validation weaknesses in the network infrastructure.
The vulnerability highlights the critical importance of input validation in SDN controller implementations and demonstrates how seemingly minor flaws in protocol handling can lead to significant operational impacts. Organizations utilizing Floodlight SDN controllers should prioritize patching this vulnerability as part of their overall security maintenance program, while also reviewing other SDN controller implementations for similar validation weaknesses that could be exploited in similar manners.