CVE-2025-41361 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 devices improperly handle TLS requests associated with PROCOME sockets, so TLS requests sent to those PROCOME ports could cause the device to reboot and result in a denial of service. To exploit this vulnerability, PROCOME ports must be configured and active, with communications encryption active.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/06/2025
This vulnerability represents a critical uncontrolled resource consumption issue affecting devices running IDF v0.10.0-0C03-03 and ZLF v0.10.0-0C03-04 firmware versions. The flaw specifically manifests when devices process TLS requests related to PROCOME socket communications, creating a condition where legitimate network traffic can trigger system instability. The vulnerability falls under CWE-400 which categorizes improper resource management issues, specifically targeting resource exhaustion through malformed or excessive TLS request handling. This weakness enables an attacker to induce a denial of service condition by sending carefully crafted TLS requests to active PROCOME ports, ultimately causing the device to reboot and become unavailable to authorized users.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability exploits the device's TLS processing logic within the PROCOME socket framework, where the system fails to properly validate or limit the resources consumed during TLS handshake and data exchange operations. When TLS requests are received on configured PROCOME ports with encryption enabled, the device's resource management mechanisms become overwhelmed, leading to system instability and forced reboot. This behavior aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.004 which describes network denial of service attacks targeting system resources, and represents a classic example of how improper input validation can lead to resource exhaustion attacks. The vulnerability requires specific preconditions to be exploitable, including active PROCOME port configuration and enabled encryption communications, making it less broadly accessible but still highly impactful when conditions are met.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption to potentially compromise device availability and system reliability. Network administrators and security teams face the challenge of maintaining service continuity when devices may unexpectedly reboot due to legitimate TLS traffic patterns. This creates a significant risk for industrial control systems and network infrastructure where device uptime is critical for operational safety and business continuity. The vulnerability's exploitation requires minimal network access and does not necessitate authentication, making it particularly dangerous in environments where network segmentation is insufficient. Organizations relying on these firmware versions must consider the potential for cascading failures if multiple devices in a network are affected simultaneously.
Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate firmware updates to address the resource consumption handling issue and implementation of network segmentation to limit exposure of PROCOME ports. Network administrators should disable PROCOME ports when not actively required and implement monitoring for unusual TLS request patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. The solution involves strengthening the TLS processing logic to properly handle resource allocation and implement rate limiting or connection throttling mechanisms to prevent excessive resource consumption. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing network intrusion detection systems to monitor for patterns consistent with this vulnerability and establish incident response procedures for device reboots related to TLS communications. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should include verification of firmware versions to ensure compliance with security patches and prevent exploitation of this and similar resource exhaustion vulnerabilities.