CVE-2025-41360 in IDF
Summary
by MITRE • 06/06/2025
Uncontrolled resource consumption vulnerability in IDF v0.10.0-0C03-03 and ZLF v0.10.0-0C03-04. The device is vulnerable to a packet flooding denial of service attack.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/06/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-41360 represents a critical uncontrolled resource consumption flaw affecting firmware versions IDF v0.10.0-0C03-03 and ZLF v0.10.0-0C03-04. This weakness falls under the category of denial of service attacks where malicious actors can exploit the system's inability to properly manage resource allocation when processing incoming network packets. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and resource management mechanisms within the firmware's packet handling routines, creating a pathway for attackers to exhaust system resources through crafted packet flooding attacks. The affected devices are particularly susceptible because they lack proper rate limiting and resource throttling controls that would normally prevent such abuse scenarios from overwhelming the system's processing capabilities.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability allows attackers to send malformed or excessive packet streams that cause the device to consume disproportionate amounts of CPU cycles, memory, and network bandwidth. This uncontrolled resource consumption manifests as system performance degradation followed by complete service disruption, effectively rendering the device inoperable. The flaw demonstrates characteristics consistent with CWE-400 Uncontrolled Resource Consumption, where the system fails to properly limit resource usage in response to abnormal input patterns. The attack vector specifically targets the network processing stack where incoming packets are parsed and handled, exploiting the absence of proper resource accounting mechanisms that should track and limit concurrent packet processing activities.
Operational impact of CVE-2025-41360 extends beyond simple service disruption to potentially compromise network availability and system reliability across affected deployments. Organizations utilizing devices running these firmware versions face significant risk of operational downtime, particularly in environments where continuous network connectivity is critical. The vulnerability can be exploited remotely without requiring authentication, making it particularly dangerous for networked devices that are exposed to external traffic. Attackers can leverage this weakness to perform sustained denial of service attacks that may require manual intervention or device reboot to restore normal operation, creating potential business continuity issues and increased maintenance overhead for system administrators.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2025-41360 should prioritize immediate firmware updates to versions that address the resource consumption issues through proper input validation and resource management controls. Network administrators should implement rate limiting and traffic shaping policies at network boundaries to reduce the impact of potential flooding attacks on affected devices. The implementation of intrusion detection systems capable of identifying abnormal packet patterns can provide early warning of exploitation attempts. Additionally, organizations should consider network segmentation to isolate affected devices and reduce the attack surface. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1498 Resource Exhaustion and T1071.004 Application Layer Protocol, emphasizing the need for both defensive measures and monitoring capabilities to detect and prevent exploitation attempts. Regular vulnerability assessments and network traffic analysis should be implemented to identify potential exploitation and ensure continued system security posture.