CVE-2019-9004 : Exploit Details and Defense Strategies

In February 2019, CVE-2019-9004 was published, highlighting a vulnerability in the Wakaama Eclipse (formerly known as liblwm2m) version 1.0. This vulnerability in the LWM2M server could lead to memory leaks and potential server termination.

Understanding CVE-2019-9004

This CVE entry identifies a specific vulnerability in the Wakaama Eclipse version 1.0, affecting the LWM2M server due to mishandling of invalid options, resulting in memory leaks.

What is CVE-2019-9004?

The vulnerability in the core/er-coap-13/er-coap-13.c file in lwm2mserver leads to memory leaks when processing crafted packets, potentially causing server termination.

The Impact of CVE-2019-9004

The mishandling of invalid options in the LWM2M server can result in memory wastage, with approximately 24 bytes lost per crafted packet. If left unaddressed, this issue could exhaust all available memory, leading to server termination.

Technical Details of CVE-2019-9004

This section delves into the technical aspects of the vulnerability.

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability arises from the mishandling of invalid options in the core/er-coap-13/er-coap-13.c file in lwm2mserver, causing memory leaks in the LWM2M server.

Affected Systems and Versions

Product: N/A
Vendor: N/A
Version: 1.0 (Wakaama Eclipse)

Exploitation Mechanism

Crafted packets trigger the vulnerability, leading to memory wastage of 24 bytes per packet and potential server termination.

Mitigation and Prevention

To address CVE-2019-9004, consider the following mitigation strategies:

Immediate Steps to Take

Apply patches or updates provided by the software vendor.
Monitor memory usage on the LWM2M server to detect abnormal patterns.

Long-Term Security Practices

Conduct regular security assessments and audits on the server.
Implement secure coding practices to prevent similar memory-related vulnerabilities.

Patching and Updates

Regularly check for security updates and patches from the software vendor to address and mitigate vulnerabilities like CVE-2019-9004.