CVE-2020-17443 : Security Advisory and Response

An issue was discovered in picoTCP 1.7.0 that can lead to memory corruption and Denial-of-Service due to a vulnerability in handling ICMPv6 echo replies.

Understanding CVE-2020-17443

This CVE entry highlights a specific vulnerability in picoTCP 1.7.0 related to the processing of ICMPv6 echo requests.

What is CVE-2020-17443?

The vulnerability in picoTCP 1.7.0 arises from inadequate size validation of incoming ICMPv6 echo request packets, potentially causing memory corruption and leading to Denial-of-Service.

The Impact of CVE-2020-17443

The vulnerability can result in memory corruption and Denial-of-Service within the pico_icmp6_send_echoreply_not_frag function in pico_icmp6.c.

Technical Details of CVE-2020-17443

This section delves into the technical aspects of the vulnerability.

Vulnerability Description

The issue in picoTCP 1.7.0 stems from the lack of size validation for incoming ICMPv6 echo request packets, triggering memory corruption due to an integer wrap-around.

Affected Systems and Versions

Affected Version: picoTCP 1.7.0
All systems running this version are vulnerable to the exploit.

Exploitation Mechanism

If an incoming ICMPv6 echo request packet is shorter than 8 bytes, the calculation of ICMPv6 echo replies can lead to memory corruption.

Mitigation and Prevention

Protecting systems from CVE-2020-17443 requires immediate actions and long-term security practices.

Immediate Steps to Take

Update picoTCP to a patched version that addresses the vulnerability.
Implement network-level controls to filter out potentially malicious ICMPv6 packets.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly monitor and update network security configurations.
Conduct security audits to identify and mitigate similar vulnerabilities.

Patching and Updates

Apply patches provided by picoTCP promptly to mitigate the vulnerability and enhance system security.