CVE-2020-14936 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

Contiki-NG 4.4 through 4.5 is affected by buffer overflows in the SNMP agent, allowing remote attackers to overwrite memory beyond allocated buffers.

Understanding CVE-2020-14936

Buffer overflows in Contiki-NG 4.4 through 4.5 SNMP agent can lead to remote memory overwrite attacks.

What is CVE-2020-14936?

Functions parsing OIDs in SNMP requests lack buffer capacity verification, enabling memory overwrite beyond allocated buffers.
Crafted SNMP requests can trigger memory region overwrites on IoT devices.

The Impact of CVE-2020-14936

Remote attackers can exploit the vulnerability to overwrite memory regions beyond allocated buffers.
This could lead to remote overwrite of stack and statically allocated variables by sending malicious SNMP requests.

Technical Details of CVE-2020-14936

Contiki-NG 4.4 through 4.5 SNMP agent vulnerability details.

Vulnerability Description

Lack of buffer capacity verification in functions parsing OIDs in SNMP requests.
Potential memory overwrite beyond allocated buffers upon receiving SNMP requests.

Affected Systems and Versions

Contiki-NG versions 4.4 through 4.5 are impacted by this vulnerability.

Exploitation Mechanism

Crafted SNMP requests can trigger buffer overflows, allowing remote memory overwrite attacks.

Mitigation and Prevention

Protect systems from CVE-2020-14936.

Immediate Steps to Take

Apply vendor patches or updates to fix the buffer overflow issue.
Implement network segmentation to limit exposure to potentially malicious SNMP requests.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update and patch IoT devices and systems to prevent vulnerabilities.
Conduct security assessments and audits to identify and address potential weaknesses.

Patching and Updates

Stay informed about security advisories and apply patches promptly to mitigate risks.