CVE-2004-0714 in IOS
Summary
by MITRE
Cisco Internetwork Operating System (IOS) 12.0S through 12.3T attempts to process SNMP solicited operations on improper ports (UDP 162 and a randomly chosen UDP port), which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (device reload and memory corruption).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/12/2025
Cisco IOS versions 12.0S through 12.3T contain a critical vulnerability in their SNMP implementation that affects network device availability and stability. This vulnerability stems from improper handling of SNMP solicited operations on UDP port 162 and randomly selected UDP ports, creating a significant security risk that can be exploited by remote attackers to execute denial of service attacks. The flaw exists in the SNMP processing logic where the system fails to properly validate incoming requests on these specific ports, allowing malicious actors to craft specially crafted packets that trigger unexpected behavior in the device's memory management system.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the SNMP daemon's failure to properly validate incoming packets on UDP port 162, which is the standard port for SNMP traps, and a dynamically chosen UDP port that the system uses for solicited operations. When an attacker sends malformed or specially crafted SNMP packets to these ports, the IOS software attempts to process these requests without proper input validation, leading to memory corruption issues that ultimately result in device reloads and system instability. This behavior represents a classic buffer overflow or memory management vulnerability that falls under the CWE-125 weakness category, specifically related to out-of-bounds read operations and improper input validation in network protocols.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption, as it can result in complete device unavailability and potential data loss during the reload process. Network administrators may experience unexpected downtime across their infrastructure, particularly affecting critical network components such as routers and switches that rely heavily on SNMP for monitoring and management. The random selection of UDP ports for solicited operations makes this vulnerability particularly challenging to detect and defend against, as traditional port scanning techniques may not reveal the specific port that the vulnerable device is listening on at any given time. This behavior aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.001 for network denial of service attacks, where adversaries exploit weaknesses in network protocols to disrupt services.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on immediate patching of affected Cisco IOS versions, as well as implementing network segmentation and access control measures to limit exposure. Network administrators should disable SNMP if it is not required for operations, or implement strict access control lists to restrict SNMP traffic to trusted sources only. Additionally, monitoring for unusual SNMP traffic patterns and implementing intrusion detection systems can help identify exploitation attempts before they succeed. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper input validation and memory management in network operating systems, as outlined in the NIST Cybersecurity Framework's configuration management and vulnerability management practices. Organizations should also consider implementing redundant network paths and failover mechanisms to minimize the impact of potential exploitation, as the device reload behavior can cause cascading failures in network infrastructure.