CVE-2018-3874 : Exploit Details and Defense Strategies

Samsung SmartThings Hub STH-ETH-250-Firmware version 0.20.17 contains a critical buffer overflow vulnerability in its credentials handler, allowing attackers to exploit it through a buffer overflow.

Understanding CVE-2018-3874

This CVE involves a vulnerability in the video-core's HTTP server of Samsung SmartThings Hub STH-ETH-250-Firmware version 0.20.17.

What is CVE-2018-3874?

The vulnerability in the credentials handler of the HTTP server allows attackers to trigger a buffer overflow by sending a specially crafted "accessKey" value.

The Impact of CVE-2018-3874

The vulnerability has a CVSS base score of 9.9, indicating a critical severity level with high impacts on confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected system.

Technical Details of CVE-2018-3874

The technical aspects of the vulnerability are as follows:

Vulnerability Description

The issue arises from a buffer overflow in the credentials handler of the video-core's HTTP server.
Exploitation occurs due to the strncpy function surpassing the allocated buffer size of 32 bytes.

Affected Systems and Versions

Product: SmartThings Hub STH-ETH-250
Vendor: Samsung
Firmware Version: 0.20.17

Exploitation Mechanism

Attack Complexity: Low
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: None
Scope: Changed
Exploitation involves sending an "accessKey" value with an arbitrarily chosen length.

Mitigation and Prevention

To address CVE-2018-3874, consider the following steps:

Immediate Steps to Take

Disable remote access to the affected device if not required.
Implement network segmentation to limit access to vulnerable devices.
Monitor network traffic for any suspicious activities.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update firmware and software to patch known vulnerabilities.
Conduct security assessments and penetration testing to identify and address weaknesses.

Patching and Updates

Apply security patches provided by Samsung promptly to mitigate the vulnerability.