CVE-2004-0307 in ONS 15454 Optical Transport Platform
Summary
by MITRE
Cisco ONS 15327 before 4.1(3), ONS 15454 before 4.6(1), and ONS 15454 SD before 4.1(3) allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (reset) by not sending the ACK portion of the TCP three-way handshake and sending an invalid response instead.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/19/2019
The vulnerability described in CVE-2004-0307 represents a critical flaw in Cisco's ONS 15327 and ONS 15454 series network equipment, specifically affecting versions prior to 4.1(3) and 4.6(1) respectively. This issue resides within the TCP protocol implementation of these telecommunications devices, creating a fundamental weakness in their network communication stack. The vulnerability manifests when the device encounters TCP connections that do not properly complete the standard three-way handshake process, which is a core component of TCP/IP network communication protocols. The affected systems are designed to handle legitimate TCP connections but fail to properly manage abnormal connection attempts that deviate from standard protocol behavior.
The technical flaw occurs when remote attackers exploit the device's failure to properly handle TCP connections that omit the ACK (acknowledge) portion of the three-way handshake process. Instead of sending a proper acknowledgment response, the attackers send invalid responses that cause the device's TCP stack to malfunction. This specific implementation error creates a condition where the network equipment cannot properly distinguish between legitimate connection attempts and maliciously crafted packets designed to exploit the protocol handling. The vulnerability operates at the network transport layer, specifically targeting the TCP connection establishment process, which is fundamental to all TCP-based network communications. This type of flaw falls under CWE-119, which addresses improper restriction of operations within a recognized security boundary, and represents a classic example of a protocol implementation weakness that can be exploited for denial of service attacks.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption, as it allows remote attackers to systematically reset network connections and potentially compromise the availability of critical telecommunications infrastructure. When exploited, the vulnerability can cause the affected Cisco ONS equipment to reset its TCP connections, effectively denying service to legitimate users and applications that depend on these network devices for communication. The attack requires minimal resources from the attacker while potentially causing significant disruption to network operations, making it particularly dangerous in production environments where network reliability is paramount. Network administrators face the challenge of identifying and mitigating this vulnerability without disrupting normal network operations, as the attack can be launched from remote locations without requiring physical access to the equipment. This vulnerability also creates opportunities for attackers to perform reconnaissance activities, as the device's response to malformed TCP packets can reveal information about its configuration and operational state.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate software updates to the affected Cisco ONS equipment, with patches available from Cisco that address the TCP stack implementation flaw. Organizations should prioritize updating their network infrastructure to versions 4.1(3) for ONS 15327 and 4.6(1) for ONS 15454, as these releases contain fixes for the specific TCP connection handling issues. Network administrators should also implement additional security measures such as TCP SYN cookies, connection rate limiting, and monitoring for unusual TCP connection patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper protocol implementation and the need for robust input validation in network infrastructure devices, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1499.004 for network denial of service attacks. Organizations should also consider implementing network segmentation and access controls to limit the potential impact of such vulnerabilities and establish monitoring procedures to detect anomalous TCP traffic patterns that could indicate exploitation attempts.