Insufficient verification of data authenticity in Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) Protocol
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Adjacent network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- High
- Impact type
- Security bypass
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- Low · High · High
- Fix status
- Will not fix Red Hat: no fix planned
Attack profile from CVSS 3.0 · NVD. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-345.
Summary
Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) protocol implementations may improperly determine Link State Advertisement (LSA) recency for LSAs with MaxSequenceNumber. According to RFC 2328 section 13.1, for two instances of the same LSA, recency is determined by first comparing sequence numbers, then checksums, and finally MaxAge. In a case where the sequence numbers are the same, the LSA with the larger checksum is considered more recent, and will not be flushed from the Link State Database (LSDB). Since the RFC does not explicitly state that the values of links carried by a LSA must be the same when prematurely aging a self-originating LSA with MaxSequenceNumber, it is possible in vulnerable OSPF implementations for an attacker to craft a LSA with MaxSequenceNumber and invalid links that will result in a larger checksum and thus a 'newer' LSA that will not be flushed from the LSDB. Propagation of the crafted LSA can result in the erasure or alteration of the routing tables of routers within the routing domain, creating a denial of service condition or the re-routing of traffic on the network. CVE-2017-3224 has been reserved for Quagga and downstream implementations (SUSE, openSUSE, and Red Hat packages).
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
Not available: CISA has not published SSVC decision points for this record.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) | Protocol | — | — | No fix listed | CNA |
- Protocol VendorOpen Shortest Path First (OSPF) Affected — Fixed in — No fix listed CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 4
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:a:quagga:quagga:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | not specified by NVD | Vulnerable | Quagga |
| cpe:2.3:o:suse:opensuse:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | not specified by NVD | Vulnerable | SUSE |
| cpe:2.3:o:suse:suse_linux:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | not specified by NVD | Vulnerable | SUSE |
| cpe:2.3:a:redhat:package_manager:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | not specified by NVD | Vulnerable | Red Hat |
- cpe:2.3:a:quagga:quagga:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions not specified by NVD Vulnerable ·Quagga
- cpe:2.3:o:suse:opensuse:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions not specified by NVD Vulnerable ·SUSE
- cpe:2.3:o:suse:suse_linux:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions not specified by NVD Vulnerable ·SUSE
- cpe:2.3:a:redhat:package_manager:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions not specified by NVD Vulnerable ·Red Hat
Remediation
No fixed version listed by the sources yet.
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 | Affected | No fix planned: Will not fix |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 | Affected | No fix planned: Will not fix |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 | Affected | No fix planned: Will not fix |
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2017-3224
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-63cp-f7wp-c79r
References
Advisory 1
Sources
- CVE-2017-3224 · CVE Program
- CVE-2017-3224 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-63cp-f7wp-c79r · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2017-3224 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences