CVE-2004-1164 in CNS Network Registrar Central Configuration Management
Summary
by MITRE
The lock manager in Cisco CNS Network Registrar 6.0 through 6.1.1.3 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (process crash) via a certain "unexpected packet sequence."
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/29/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2004-1164 resides within the lock manager component of Cisco CNS Network Registrar versions 6.0 through 6.1.1.3, representing a critical denial of service weakness that can be exploited remotely by attackers. This issue specifically targets the network registrar's ability to manage concurrent access to shared resources through its locking mechanisms, which are fundamental to maintaining data integrity and system stability in network management environments. The affected lock manager implementation fails to properly validate incoming packet sequences, creating a scenario where malformed or unexpected network traffic can trigger system instability. This vulnerability operates at the application layer and leverages the inherent trust relationships within network protocols to execute its attack vector, making it particularly dangerous in production environments where continuous network operations are essential for business continuity.
The technical flaw manifests when the lock manager receives a sequence of packets that deviates from the expected communication pattern, causing the system to enter an undefined state where it cannot properly process subsequent requests. This unexpected packet sequence triggers an unhandled exception within the lock manager's state machine, resulting in a process crash that effectively renders the network registrar service unavailable. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-248, which addresses "Uncaught Exception" conditions in software implementations, where the system fails to properly handle exceptional conditions that occur during normal operation. The attack requires minimal privileges and can be executed from any remote location, making it accessible to a broad range of threat actors. The implementation lacks proper input validation and error handling mechanisms that would normally detect and gracefully manage malformed packet sequences, allowing the attacker to exploit this gap directly.
The operational impact of CVE-2004-1164 extends beyond simple service disruption, as it can compromise the reliability of critical network infrastructure management functions. Network Registrar systems that manage DNS, DHCP, and other essential network services become immediately vulnerable to attack, potentially causing cascading failures throughout connected network segments. The denial of service effect can persist until manual intervention occurs to restart the affected services, creating potential downtime that may last from minutes to hours depending on operational response times. Organizations relying on Cisco CNS Network Registrar for critical network operations face significant risk of service interruption, particularly in environments where continuous network availability is paramount for business operations. This vulnerability directly impacts the availability component of the CIA triad and can be categorized under the MITRE ATT&CK framework's T1499.004 technique, which addresses "Endpoint Denial of Service" through resource exhaustion or process termination attacks.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should prioritize immediate patch deployment from Cisco, as the vendor has released security updates addressing the specific lock manager implementation flaw. Organizations should implement network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure to the affected services, reducing the attack surface available to potential threat actors. Monitoring systems should be configured to detect unusual packet sequence patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts, while automated alerting mechanisms can help reduce response times during active attacks. The implementation of proper input validation and error handling within the application layer can provide additional defense-in-depth measures that would prevent similar vulnerabilities from manifesting in other components of the network infrastructure. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify and remediate similar issues within the broader network ecosystem, ensuring that all components maintain robust exception handling and validation mechanisms that align with industry best practices for secure software development and deployment.