CVE-2025-41653 in IE-SW-VL05M-5TX
Summary
by MITRE • 05/27/2025
An unauthenticated remote attacker can exploit a denial-of-service vulnerability in the device's web server functionality by sending a specially crafted HTTP request with a malicious header, potentially causing the server to crash or become unresponsive.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/27/2025
This vulnerability represents a critical denial-of-service weakness in web server implementations that affects networked devices through improper handling of malformed HTTP requests. The flaw manifests when the web server processes incoming requests containing specially crafted headers without adequate validation or sanitization mechanisms. Attackers can exploit this by sending maliciously formatted HTTP requests that trigger abnormal server behavior, leading to service disruption or complete system unresponsiveness. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it requires no authentication credentials, making it accessible to any remote attacker who can reach the target device's web interface. This type of attack falls under the category of resource exhaustion or application-level denial-of-service attacks where the server's processing logic becomes overwhelmed by malformed input. The technical implementation likely involves insufficient input validation in the HTTP request parsing layer where header values are not properly sanitized before being processed by the web server's internal components. Such vulnerabilities often stem from inadequate defensive programming practices and failure to implement proper request filtering mechanisms. According to the CWE database, this scenario aligns with CWE-129, which covers improper validation of input, and CWE-400, which addresses uncontrolled resource consumption. The attack vector operates through the standard HTTP protocol stack where malicious headers can cause the web server to enter an infinite loop, consume excessive memory, or trigger stack overflow conditions. The operational impact extends beyond simple service interruption as this vulnerability can affect business continuity, customer access to services, and potentially compromise other networked systems that depend on the affected device's functionality. Organizations may experience extended downtime, increased support tickets, and potential revenue loss during attack windows. The vulnerability also represents a significant risk for industrial control systems, IoT devices, and network infrastructure where such devices often lack robust security hardening. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1499.004, which covers network denial-of-service attacks, and T1595.001, which addresses network scanning and reconnaissance activities that may precede such attacks. The exploitation process typically involves crafting HTTP requests with oversized headers, malformed sequences, or recursive patterns that cause the web server to consume excessive computational resources or enter error states. Mitigation strategies should include implementing robust input validation at the network level, deploying web application firewalls to filter malicious requests, and configuring rate limiting to prevent abuse of the web server functionality. System administrators should also consider implementing intrusion detection systems that can identify anomalous HTTP request patterns and automatically block suspicious traffic. Regular firmware updates and security patches are essential to address this vulnerability, as many vendors release fixes specifically targeting such input validation flaws. Network segmentation and access control measures can also limit the potential impact by restricting direct access to vulnerable web interfaces from untrusted networks. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of defensive programming principles and proper input sanitization in preventing exploitation of web server components, particularly in environments where devices may be exposed to untrusted network traffic. Organizations should conduct regular vulnerability assessments and penetration testing to identify similar weaknesses in their network infrastructure and ensure that web server implementations properly validate all incoming HTTP requests and headers.