dbcve.org
Hub FirmwareOperating system · Insteon

CVE-2017-16277

CRITICAL · 9.9 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-01-11
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
Multiple exploitable buffer overflow vulnerabilities exist in the PubNub message handler for the "cc" channel of Insteon Hub running firmware version 1012. Specially crafted commands sent through the PubNub service can cause a stack-based buffer overflow overwriting arbitrary data. An attacker should send an authenticated HTTP request to trigger this vulnerability. In cmd sn_grp, at 0x9d017658, the value for the `gcmd` key is copied using `strcpy` to the buffer at `$sp+0x270`.This buffer is 16 bytes large, sending anything longer will cause a buffer overflow.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

Stack-based buffer overflow in Insteon Hub firmware 1012's PubNub message handler for the 'cc' channel. The 'cmd sn_grp' function uses unbounded strcpy to copy the 'gcmd' key value into a 16-byte stack buffer at $sp+0x270, allowing overflow and arbitrary data overwrite with authenticated HTTP requests via PubNub.

MitigationReplace strcpy with bounded copy functions (strncpy/snprintf) and implement input length validation for the gcmd key before copying. Deploy patched firmware to affected devices and consider network-level authentication controls for PubNub commands.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Hub FirmwareOperating system
Affected:= 1012

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify the device model
    Confirm the target device is an Insteon Hub (models 2245-222, 2242-222, 2457D2, 2457D3, 2457D22, 2457D23, 2456D2, or 2456D3) by checking the physical device label or management interface.
    Affected if The device is not an Insteon Hub.
  2. Check firmware version
    Access the Insteon Hub administration interface (typically at http://insteonhub or via the mobile app) and navigate to Settings > Device Info > Firmware Version. Alternatively, query the device via its REST API endpoint if available.
    Affected if The firmware version is 1012.
  3. Verify PubNub integration is active
    Check if the Insteon Hub has PubNub enabled in its configuration settings. This is typically found under Advanced Settings > PubNub or Insteon Hub app settings. Look for any PubNub subscription or channel configuration.
    Affected if PubNub is enabled and configured.
  4. Confirm 'cc' channel accessibility
    If PubNub is enabled, verify that the 'cc' channel is among the active PubNub channels. This can be checked by reviewing the PubNub configuration on the device or monitoring PubNub traffic if you have access to the PubNub account associated with the device.
    Affected if The 'cc' channel is active and reachable.
  5. Check authentication status for PubNub requests
    Determine if the PubNub messages can be sent with valid authentication credentials (PubNub publish/subscribe keys). Review whether the PubNub keys are still active and not rotated.
    Affected if Authenticated PubNub requests can be sent to the device's PubNub channel.

A defender is affected if they have an Insteon Hub running firmware version 1012 with PubNub enabled and the 'cc' channel active and accessible with authentication.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Replace strcpy with bounded copy functions (strncpy/snprintf) and implement input length validation for the gcmd key before copying. Deploy patched firmware to affected devices and consider network-level authentication controls for PubNub commands.

Fix this in Hub Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
30.0 hours of engineering $5,280
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $8,448.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-16277 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2017-16277 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data