CVE-2017-16261 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

CVE-2017-16261, assigned by Talos, pertains to buffer overflow vulnerabilities in the Insteon Hub's PubNub message handler.

Understanding CVE-2017-16261

This CVE involves stack-based buffer overflow vulnerabilities in the Insteon Hub's PubNub message handler, allowing attackers to overwrite data.

What is CVE-2017-16261?

The Insteon Hub, particularly the "cc" channel's PubNub message handler, contains buffer overflow vulnerabilities that can be exploited by sending tailored commands through the PubNub service. These vulnerabilities lead to a stack-based buffer overflow, enabling attackers to overwrite arbitrary data.

The Impact of CVE-2017-16261

The vulnerabilities in CVE-2017-16261 have a high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability, with a CVSS base score of 8.5 (High severity).

Technical Details of CVE-2017-16261

This section provides more technical insights into the vulnerability.

Vulnerability Description

The buffer overflow occurs in the

strcpy

function within the cmd g_b at address 0x9d015714, where the

grp

key's value is directly copied to a buffer with a length of 16 bytes, leading to a buffer overflow if data longer than 16 bytes is sent.

Affected Systems and Versions

Vendor: Insteon
Product: Hub
Versions: Not specified

Exploitation Mechanism

To trigger this vulnerability, an attacker needs to send an authenticated HTTP request containing data longer than 16 bytes, exploiting the buffer overflow in the PubNub message handler.

Mitigation and Prevention

Protecting systems from CVE-2017-16261 requires immediate actions and long-term security practices.

Immediate Steps to Take

Apply vendor patches or updates promptly.
Implement network segmentation to limit the impact of potential attacks.
Monitor network traffic for any suspicious activities.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update and patch all software and firmware.
Conduct security assessments and penetration testing to identify vulnerabilities.
Educate users and administrators on secure coding practices.

Patching and Updates

Ensure that the Insteon Hub's firmware is up to date and that any patches addressing the buffer overflow vulnerabilities are applied.