CVE-2008-3818 in ONS
Summary
by MITRE
Cisco ONS 15310-CL, 15310-MA, 15327, 15454, 15454 SDH, and 15600 with software 7.0.2 through 7.0.6, 7.2.2, 8.0.x, 8.5.1, and 8.5.2 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (control-card reset) via a crafted TCP session.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/24/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2008-3818 affects Cisco optical network switches including the ONS 15310-CL, 15310-MA, 15327, 15454, 15454 SDH, and 15600 series devices. These network infrastructure components operate within telecommunications environments where continuous availability is critical for maintaining service delivery. The affected software versions span multiple release lines including 7.0.2 through 7.0.6, 7.2.2, 8.0.x, 8.5.1, and 8.5.2, indicating a widespread impact across various firmware releases that were commonly deployed in production networks. This vulnerability specifically targets the control card functionality of these devices, which serves as the central management component responsible for system configuration, monitoring, and operational control.
The technical flaw manifests through a weakness in the TCP session handling mechanism of the affected Cisco devices. When a remote attacker crafts and establishes a specific TCP session with the target device, the system fails to properly validate or process the session parameters, leading to a critical system failure. The vulnerability exploits an insufficient input validation or buffer handling issue within the TCP stack implementation, causing the control card to reset unexpectedly. This reset operation effectively terminates all active control functions and requires manual intervention or automatic system recovery to restore normal operation. The attack vector is particularly concerning as it requires no authentication credentials, making it accessible to any remote attacker with network access to the device's management interfaces.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption to potentially compromise network reliability and availability in production environments. Control card resets can result in temporary loss of management capabilities, disruption of ongoing network operations, and potential service degradation for customers relying on the affected network infrastructure. In telecommunications environments where these devices are deployed, such denial of service attacks can cascade across interconnected systems, affecting multiple network segments and potentially causing widespread service interruptions. The vulnerability's ability to trigger control-card resets means that network administrators may experience unexpected downtime without clear indication of the root cause, complicating troubleshooting and incident response efforts.
Security practitioners should implement immediate mitigations including network segmentation to limit access to management interfaces, deployment of access control lists to restrict TCP session establishment, and application of available firmware patches from Cisco. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-129, which addresses improper validation of input boundaries, and demonstrates characteristics consistent with ATT&CK technique T1499.002 for network denial of service attacks. Organizations should also consider implementing network monitoring to detect anomalous TCP session patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts, while establishing incident response procedures specifically addressing control card reset events. The vulnerability underscores the importance of maintaining current firmware versions and implementing robust network security controls for critical infrastructure devices.