Overview
The CVE-2023-45232 vulnerability pertains to EDK2’s Network Package, which is at risk of an infinite loop vulnerability when parsing unknown options in the Destination Options header of IPv6. This vulnerability renders systems susceptible to unauthorized access and potential data breaches, thereby posing a significant threat to system availability and integrity.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2023-45232
Severity: High (7.5 CVSS score)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Impact: Potential system compromise and data leakage
Affected Products
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Product | Affected Versions
EDK2 Network Package | All versions prior to patch
How the Exploit Works
The exploit works by sending IPv6 packets with unknown options in the Destination Options header. The EDK2 Network Package, unprepared for these unknown options, enters an infinite loop while trying to parse them. This allows the attacker to exhaust system resources, thereby causing a denial of service. An attacker can also potentially leverage this situation to gain unauthorized access to the system and possibly access sensitive data.
Conceptual Example Code
This conceptual example demonstrates how an attacker might exploit the vulnerability:
POST /edk2/parse HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.com
Content-Type: application/ipv6
{ "destination_options": "UNKNOWN_OPTIONS" }
This code sends an HTTP POST request to the EDK2 Network Package’s parse endpoint with a payload containing unknown options in the Destination Options field of the IPv6 header. This can trigger the infinite loop vulnerability and potentially lead to unauthorized system access or data leakage.
Mitigation Guidance
To mitigate this vulnerability, it is highly recommended to apply the vendor’s patch as soon as it becomes available. Until then, using a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can offer temporary mitigation. These systems can be configured to identify and block malicious IPv6 packets, providing an extra layer of security against this exploit.

