CVE-2003-0210 in Secure ACS
Summary
by MITRE
Buffer overflow in the administration service (CSAdmin) for Cisco Secure ACS before 3.1.2 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service and possibly execute arbitrary code via a long user parameter to port 2002.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/23/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2003-0210 represents a critical buffer overflow flaw within Cisco Secure Access Control Server's administration service known as CSAdmin. This security weakness affects Cisco Secure ACS versions prior to 3.1.2 and operates through the service's listening port 2002 which handles administrative communications. The flaw stems from insufficient input validation mechanisms that fail to properly sanitize user-provided parameters before processing them within fixed-size memory buffers. When a remote attacker sends a specially crafted packet containing an excessively long user parameter to the designated port, the system's memory management routines become compromised, leading to unpredictable behavior in the application's execution flow.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, which categorizes buffer overflow conditions where insufficient bounds checking allows attackers to overwrite adjacent memory locations. The specific nature of this flaw enables attackers to manipulate the program's execution control flow by overwriting return addresses or other critical memory structures. The attack vector requires network connectivity to port 2002 and does not necessitate authentication, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited remotely by unauthorized parties. The buffer overflow condition creates an opportunity for arbitrary code execution when the overflow corrupts memory in a manner that allows the attacker to inject and subsequently execute malicious instructions within the target system's memory space.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to network security infrastructure deployments relying on Cisco Secure ACS for access control management. The potential for denial of service means that legitimate administrative operations could be disrupted, preventing authorized personnel from managing access control policies and user authentication. More critically, the possibility of arbitrary code execution provides attackers with a pathway to gain elevated privileges within the system, potentially allowing them to establish persistent access or escalate their privileges to administrative levels. This vulnerability directly impacts the integrity and availability of access control services that many organizations depend upon for network security enforcement.
The mitigation strategies for CVE-2003-0210 should prioritize immediate deployment of Cisco's official security patches and updates to versions 3.1.2 and later, which contain the necessary fixes for the buffer overflow conditions. Network administrators should implement perimeter security controls including firewall rules that restrict access to port 2002 to only trusted administrative networks and IP addresses. The implementation of intrusion detection systems with signatures specifically designed to detect exploitation attempts of this vulnerability can provide additional layers of protection. Organizations should also conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify all instances of affected Cisco Secure ACS deployments and ensure that proper network segmentation prevents unauthorized access to the administration service ports. The remediation process must include thorough testing of the patched versions in non-production environments before full deployment to avoid potential service disruptions while maintaining the security posture against this specific threat vector that aligns with attack patterns documented in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the technique of exploitation for privilege escalation.