CVE-2020-24338 : Security Advisory and Response

An issue was discovered in picoTCP through 1.7.0 that can lead to Denial-of-Service and Remote Code Execution.

Understanding CVE-2020-24338

This CVE involves a vulnerability in picoTCP that affects the DNS domain name record decompression functionality.

What is CVE-2020-24338?

The issue lies in pico_dns_decompress_name() in pico_dns_common.c, where the compression pointer offset values are not properly validated, leading to out-of-bounds writes.

The Impact of CVE-2020-24338

The vulnerability can result in Denial-of-Service attacks and potentially allow attackers to execute remote code on affected systems.

Technical Details of CVE-2020-24338

This section provides more technical insights into the CVE.

Vulnerability Description

The DNS domain name record decompression functionality in picoTCP through version 1.7.0 does not validate compression pointer offset values, allowing for out-of-bounds writes.

Affected Systems and Versions

Product: picoTCP
Vendor: Not applicable
Versions affected: All versions up to 1.7.0

Exploitation Mechanism

Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by sending specially crafted DNS response packets to the affected system, triggering out-of-bounds writes.

Mitigation and Prevention

Protecting systems from CVE-2020-24338 requires immediate actions and long-term security practices.

Immediate Steps to Take

Apply vendor patches or updates if available
Implement network-level protections to filter out malicious DNS packets
Monitor network traffic for any signs of exploitation

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update and patch software to address known vulnerabilities
Conduct security assessments and penetration testing to identify and mitigate potential risks
Educate users and IT staff on best practices for network security

Patching and Updates

Ensure that the affected picoTCP software is updated to version 1.7.1 or later to mitigate the vulnerability.