Vulnerability Monitor

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CVE-2017-14970

In lib/ofp-util.c in Open vSwitch (OvS) before 2.8.1, there are multiple memory leaks while parsing malformed OpenFlow group mod messages. NOTE: the vendor disputes the relevance of this report, stating "it can only be triggered by an OpenFlow controller, but OpenFlow controllers have much more direct and powerful ways to force Open vSwitch to allocate memory, such as by inserting flows into the flow table."

Security Impact Summary

This vulnerability carries a MEDIUM severity rating with a CVSS v3.1 score of 5.9, indicating it can be exploited remotely over the network but requires specific conditions to be met without requiring user interaction and does not require pre-existing privileges . The vulnerability impacts and availability (service disruption) for affected systems. Impacting 1 product from openvswitch organizations running these solutions should prioritize assessment and patching.

Historical Context

First disclosed in 2017, this vulnerability was reported during a period defined by widespread IoT adoption challenges, mobile security concerns, and the emergence of advanced persistent threat (APT) techniques. Contemporary mitigation strategies focused on secure development practices and third-party component vetting.

Published

2017-10-02T01:29:00.517

Last Modified

2025-04-20T01:37:25.860

Status

Deferred

Source

[email protected]

Severity

CVSSv3.0: 5.9 (MEDIUM)

CVSSv2 Vector

AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:P

Access Vector: NETWORK
Access Complexity: MEDIUM
Authentication: NONE
Confidentiality Impact: NONE
Integrity Impact: NONE
Availability Impact: PARTIAL

Exploitability Score

8.6

Impact Score

2.9

Weaknesses

Type: Primary
CWE-772

Affected Vendors & Products

Type	Vendor	Product	Version/Range	Vulnerable?
Application	openvswitch	openvswitch	≤ 2.8.0	Yes

References

https://mail.openvswitch.org/pipermail/ovs-dev/2017-September/339085.html Mailing List, Patch, Vendor Advisory ([email protected])
https://mail.openvswitch.org/pipermail/ovs-dev/2017-September/339086.html Mailing List, Patch, Vendor Advisory ([email protected])
https://mail.openvswitch.org/pipermail/ovs-dev/2017-September/339085.html Mailing List, Patch, Vendor Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://mail.openvswitch.org/pipermail/ovs-dev/2017-September/339086.html Mailing List, Patch, Vendor Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)

How SecUtils Interprets This CVE

SecUtils normalizes and enriches National Vulnerability Database (NVD) records by standardizing vendor and product identifiers, aggregating vulnerability metadata from both NVD and MITRE sources, and providing structured context for security teams. For openvswitch's affected products, we extract Common Platform Enumeration (CPE) data, Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) classifications, CVSS severity metrics, and reference data to enable rapid vulnerability prioritization and asset correlation. This record contains no exploit code, proof-of-concept instructions, or attack methodologies—only defensive intelligence necessary for patch management, risk assessment, and security operations.