CVE-2024-6657
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows attackers to cause a denial of service to Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) peripheral devices by repeatedly connecting and disconnecting from them. The affected peripheral device becomes unresponsive and requires a hard reset to recover. This impacts any BLE peripheral devices using vulnerable firmware from Silicon Labs.
💻 Affected Systems
- Silicon Labs BLE-enabled devices
⚠️ Manual Verification Required
This CVE does not have specific version information in our database, so automatic vulnerability detection cannot determine if your system is affected.
Why? The CVE database entry doesn't specify which versions are vulnerable (no version ranges provided by the vendor/NVD).
🔒 Custom verification scripts are available for registered users. Sign up free to download automated test scripts.
- Review the CVE details at NVD
- Check vendor security advisories for your specific version
- Test if the vulnerability is exploitable in your environment
- Consider updating to the latest version as a precaution
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Critical BLE peripheral devices (medical devices, industrial sensors, security systems) become permanently unavailable until physically reset, potentially disrupting operations or safety functions.
Likely Case
BLE devices in public or shared environments become temporarily unavailable, requiring manual intervention to restore functionality.
If Mitigated
With proper network segmentation and connection rate limiting, impact is limited to isolated devices with quick recovery procedures.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires physical proximity to target BLE device and ability to send connection requests. No authentication needed.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Not specified in reference; check Silicon Labs advisory
Vendor Advisory: https://community.silabs.com/068Vm00000FfVNN
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Check Silicon Labs advisory for specific firmware updates. 2. Update BLE peripheral device firmware to patched version. 3. Perform hard reset if device is currently affected.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Connection Rate Limiting
allImplement connection attempt rate limiting on BLE peripherals if supported by firmware
Physical Security Controls
allRestrict physical access to BLE devices to prevent proximity-based attacks
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Isolate BLE devices in physically secure areas to prevent unauthorized proximity access
- Implement monitoring for unusual connection patterns and prepare manual reset procedures
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check device firmware version against Silicon Labs advisory. Test by attempting rapid connect/disconnect cycles from multiple central devices.Check Version:
Device-specific; typically through manufacturer's configuration tool or AT commandsVerify Fix Applied:
After patching, test with rapid connection attempts; device should remain responsive without requiring reset.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusually high frequency of BLE connection/disconnection events
- Peripheral device becoming unresponsive in logs
Network Indicators:
- Multiple MAC addresses rapidly connecting to same BLE peripheral
- BLE advertisement packets followed by immediate disconnections
SIEM Query:
BLE connection events where count(connection_attempts) > threshold within short time window