CVE-2018-6923 : Security Advisory and Response
Learn about CVE-2018-6923, a FreeBSD vulnerability allowing remote attackers to trigger denial of service attacks by overwhelming systems with arbitrary IP fragments.
CVE-2018-6923 pertains to a vulnerability in the FreeBSD operating system that allows a remote attacker to conduct a denial of service attack by overwhelming the system with excessive resource consumption.
Understanding CVE-2018-6923
This CVE involves a vulnerability in the ip fragment reassembly code of FreeBSD, impacting versions prior to 11.1-STABLE, 11.2-RELEASE-p2, and 11.1-RELEASE-p13.
What is CVE-2018-6923?
The vulnerability in the ip fragment reassembly code of FreeBSD versions before specific releases allows a remote attacker to trigger a denial of service attack by flooding the system with arbitrary IP fragments.
The Impact of CVE-2018-6923
The exploitation of this vulnerability can lead to a denial of service condition, causing the affected system to consume excessive resources and potentially become unresponsive.
Technical Details of CVE-2018-6923
This section provides more technical insights into the vulnerability.
Vulnerability Description
The ip fragment reassembly code in FreeBSD versions prior to 11.1-STABLE, 11.2-RELEASE-p2, and 11.1-RELEASE-p13 is susceptible to a denial of service attack due to excessive resource consumption caused by processing arbitrary IP fragments.
Affected Systems and Versions
- Product: FreeBSD
- Vendor: FreeBSD
- Versions: All supported versions of FreeBSD are impacted.
Exploitation Mechanism
A remote attacker can exploit this vulnerability by sending a large volume of arbitrary IP fragments to the target system, leading to resource exhaustion and a denial of service condition.
Mitigation and Prevention
Protecting systems from CVE-2018-6923 requires immediate actions and long-term security practices.
Immediate Steps to Take
- Apply the necessary patches provided by FreeBSD to address the vulnerability.
- Monitor network traffic for any signs of abnormal IP fragment activity.
Long-Term Security Practices
- Regularly update the FreeBSD operating system to the latest stable versions.
- Implement network intrusion detection systems to identify and block malicious traffic.
Patching and Updates
Ensure timely installation of security patches released by FreeBSD to mitigate the CVE-2018-6923 vulnerability.