CVE-2007-0480 in IOS
Summary
by MITRE
Cisco IOS 9.x, 10.x, 11.x, and 12.x and IOS XR 2.0.x, 3.0.x, and 3.2.x allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service or execute arbitrary code via a crafted IP option in the IP header in a (1) ICMP, (2) PIMv2, (3) PGM, or (4) URD packet.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/14/2025
Cisco IOS versions 9.x through 12.x and IOS XR versions 2.0.x through 3.2.x contain a critical vulnerability in their IP packet processing implementation that enables remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service conditions. This vulnerability specifically affects the handling of crafted IP options within the IP header of four distinct packet types including ICMP, PIMv2, PGM, and URD packets. The flaw resides in the kernel-level packet processing routines where the system fails to properly validate and sanitize IP options before processing them, creating a path for maliciously constructed IP headers to trigger buffer overflows or other memory corruption conditions. This vulnerability maps directly to CWE-121, heap-based buffer overflow, and CWE-125, out-of-bounds read, as the malformed IP options can cause the system to access memory locations outside the intended buffer boundaries. The attack surface is particularly concerning given that these protocols are fundamental to network operations and can be transmitted through standard network traffic without requiring authentication or specific network privileges.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service to potentially enable remote code execution on affected Cisco IOS devices, making it a critical threat to network infrastructure security. When an attacker sends a specially crafted packet containing malformed IP options, the vulnerable IOS software processes these options without proper bounds checking, leading to memory corruption that can be exploited to overwrite critical system memory locations. This memory corruption can result in immediate system crashes causing denial of service, or more severely, allow attackers to inject and execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the affected network service. The vulnerability affects multiple IOS versions and protocol types, increasing the potential attack surface significantly. Network administrators must understand that this flaw can be exploited from any network location where the attacker can send packets to the vulnerable device, making it particularly dangerous in environments where network segmentation is not properly implemented.
From a threat modeling perspective, this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter and T1499.004 for network denial of service, as it enables both code execution and service disruption. The vulnerability's exploitation requires minimal network access and can be automated, making it particularly attractive to threat actors. Organizations using affected Cisco IOS versions should immediately implement network segmentation to limit exposure, deploy intrusion detection systems to monitor for suspicious IP option patterns, and apply vendor security patches as soon as they become available. The remediation process involves upgrading to patched IOS versions that include proper input validation and bounds checking for IP header options, with Cisco releasing specific patches addressing this vulnerability in their security advisory. Additionally, network administrators should consider implementing access control lists to filter out packets containing unusual IP options and monitor for anomalous network behavior that might indicate exploitation attempts. This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper input validation in network operating systems and highlights the potential for seemingly benign protocol features to become attack vectors when not properly secured.