Cyber Resilience

CVE-2017-14491

Memory Safety in Arubanetworks Arubaos 6.3.1 – 6.3.1.25

Public PoCHigh EPSSMemory Safety
Published
04 October 2017
Modified
20 April 2025
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 9.8
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS Score 0.85 99.7th percentile
Risk Priority 97 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2017-14491 is a critical-severity Out-of-bounds Write (CWE-787) vulnerability in Arubanetworks Arubaos. Its CVSS base score is 9.8 (Critical).

Operationally, ranked in the top 0.3% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

Heap-based buffer overflow in dnsmasq before 2.78 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) or execute arbitrary code via a crafted DNS response.

CWE(s)

Related Threats

Likely ATT&CK TechniquesAI

Techniques this vulnerability likely enables, inferred from its description, weakness type, and attributed-actor tradecraft. Confidence is per-technique.

T1190 Exploit Public-Facing Application Initial Accessconfidence: HIGH
Remote exploitation of a DNS service via crafted response directly enables initial access through public-facing application.
T1068 Exploitation for Privilege Escalation Privilege Escalationconfidence: HIGH
Heap buffer overflow in dnsmasq can be leveraged for privilege escalation on the host.
T1203 Exploitation for Client Execution Executionconfidence: MEDIUM
Successful exploitation can lead to arbitrary code execution on the client or server side.
inferred from description + CWE · MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise v19.0

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2018-1160Same product: Debian Debian Linux
CVE-2019-6977Same product: Canonical Ubuntu Linux
CVE-2023-35788Same product: Canonical Ubuntu Linux
CVE-2023-4863Same product: Debian Debian Linux
CVE-2021-44142Same product: Canonical Ubuntu Linux
CVE-2023-2124Same product: Debian Debian Linux
CVE-2023-35001Same product: Debian Debian Linux
CVE-2023-2911Same product: Debian Debian Linux
CVE-2024-2961Same product: Debian Debian Linux
CVE-2021-44790Same product: Debian Debian Linux

Affected Assets

thekelleys
dnsmasq
≤ 2.77
redhat
enterprise linux desktop
6.0, 7.0
redhat
enterprise linux server
6.0, 7.0
redhat
enterprise linux workstation
6.0, 7.0
canonical
ubuntu linux
12.04, 14.04, 16.04, 17.04
debian
debian linux
7.0, 7.1, 8.0, 9.0
opensuse
leap
42.2, 42.3
suse
linux enterprise debuginfo
11
suse
linux enterprise point of sale
11
suse
linux enterprise server
11, 12
+11 more product configuration(s) — see NVD for full list

Mitigating Controls

Likely Mitigating Controls AI

Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.

addresses: CWE-787

Out-of-bounds writes that corrupt control flow or inject shellcode are rendered non-executable by the same memory protections.

Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

PR.PS-06 mostly match
prevents

Secure-development practices (static analysis, bounds checking, code review) are the primary means of preventing out-of-bounds writes.

ID.RA-01 partial match
prevents

Vulnerability scanning and recording can discover out-of-bounds write flaws so they can be remediated.

PR.PS-02 partial match
prevents

Patching or replacing vulnerable software directly eliminates known instances of this coding weakness.

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

detects

Security testing in development and acceptance can detect and prevent out-of-bounds write defects.

prevents

Secure development life cycle mandates practices that prevent out-of-bounds writes.

prevents

Application security requirements can specify bounds-checking and safe memory handling.

prevents

Secure architecture and engineering principles reduce the likelihood of buffer overflows.

prevents

Secure coding directly addresses out-of-bounds writes through language choice and coding standards.

prevents

Change management can enforce review gates that catch unsafe memory operations before deployment.

References