CVE-2020-13986 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

Contiki through 3.0 is affected by an infinite loop vulnerability in the uIP TCP/IP stack component when handling RPL extension headers of IPv6 network packets.

Understanding CVE-2020-13986

An issue was discovered in Contiki through version 3.0, leading to an infinite loop in the uIP TCP/IP stack component.

What is CVE-2020-13986?

This CVE describes a vulnerability in Contiki that allows for an infinite loop to occur in the uIP TCP/IP stack component when processing RPL extension headers of IPv6 network packets.

The Impact of CVE-2020-13986

The vulnerability could be exploited by an attacker to cause a denial of service (DoS) by triggering the infinite loop, potentially leading to network disruption.

Technical Details of CVE-2020-13986

Contiki through version 3.0 is susceptible to an infinite loop vulnerability in the uIP TCP/IP stack component.

Vulnerability Description

The issue arises in the handling of RPL extension headers of IPv6 network packets in the rpl_remove_header function in net/rpl/rpl-ext-header.c.

Affected Systems and Versions

Product: Contiki
Vendor: N/A
Versions: All versions up to and including 3.0

Exploitation Mechanism

Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by sending specially crafted IPv6 network packets with malicious RPL extension headers, triggering the infinite loop in the TCP/IP stack.

Mitigation and Prevention

To address CVE-2020-13986, follow these mitigation steps:

Immediate Steps to Take

Implement network filtering to block malicious IPv6 packets.
Update Contiki to the latest version that includes a patch for this vulnerability.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly monitor network traffic for anomalies.
Conduct security assessments to identify and remediate vulnerabilities.

Patching and Updates

Apply patches provided by Contiki to fix the infinite loop vulnerability in the uIP TCP/IP stack component.