CVE-2019-17212 : Vulnerability Insights and Analysis

Buffer overflows have been identified in the CoAP library within Arm Mbed OS 5.14.0, potentially leading to heap-based or stack-based buffer overflows.

Understanding CVE-2019-17212

Buffer overflows in the CoAP library of Arm Mbed OS 5.14.0 can result in serious security vulnerabilities.

What is CVE-2019-17212?

The CoAP parser in Arm Mbed OS 5.14.0 is responsible for analyzing received CoAP packets.
The issue arises from a lack of strict enforcement in verifying the value of *packet_data_pptr, leading to buffer overflows.

The Impact of CVE-2019-17212

The vulnerability can result in either heap-based or stack-based buffer overflows, depending on how the CoAP packet buffer is allocated.

Technical Details of CVE-2019-17212

The technical aspects of the buffer overflow vulnerability in the CoAP library of Arm Mbed OS 5.14.0.

Vulnerability Description

The sn_coap_parser_options_parse() function parses CoAP input linearly through a while loop, incrementing the pointer without proper checks.
Lack of boundary verification in various sn_coap_parser_****() functions can lead to buffer overflows.

Affected Systems and Versions

Arm Mbed OS 5.14.0 is affected by this vulnerability.

Exploitation Mechanism

By manipulating CoAP packets, attackers can exploit the lack of boundary checks to trigger buffer overflows.

Mitigation and Prevention

Steps to mitigate and prevent the CVE-2019-17212 vulnerability.

Immediate Steps to Take

Update to a patched version of Arm Mbed OS to address the buffer overflow issue.
Implement network segmentation to limit the impact of potential attacks.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly monitor and update software components to address known vulnerabilities.
Conduct security assessments and code reviews to identify and mitigate similar issues.

Patching and Updates

Apply security patches provided by Arm Mbed OS to fix the buffer overflow vulnerability.