CVE-2009-2045 in Video Surveillance Stream Manager
Summary
by MITRE
The Cisco Video Surveillance Stream Manager firmware before 5.3, as used on Cisco Video Surveillance Services Platforms and Video Surveillance Integrated Services Platforms, allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (reboot) via a malformed payload in a UDP packet to port 37000, related to the xvcrman process, aka Bug ID CSCsj47924.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/06/2019
The vulnerability described in CVE-2009-2045 represents a critical denial of service weakness affecting Cisco Video Surveillance Stream Manager firmware versions prior to 5.3. This flaw specifically targets Cisco Video Surveillance Services Platforms and Video Surveillance Integrated Services Platforms, which are widely deployed in enterprise security infrastructure for video monitoring and surveillance operations. The vulnerability manifests through a carefully crafted malformed UDP packet that, when transmitted to port 37000, triggers an improper handling mechanism within the xvcrman process. This process is responsible for managing video stream operations and surveillance data handling within the Cisco video surveillance ecosystem, making it a crucial component for system functionality.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through a buffer overflow or input validation failure within the xvcrman process that handles UDP traffic on port 37000. When the system receives a malformed payload, the insufficient validation routines fail to properly process the malformed data, leading to a system crash or unexpected termination of the process. This process failure ultimately results in a complete system reboot, effectively rendering the surveillance platform unavailable for its intended security purposes. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it allows remote attackers to execute a denial of service attack without requiring authentication or privileged access, making it accessible to anyone who can send UDP packets to the targeted port. The attack vector specifically leverages the UDP protocol's connectionless nature, which means that the attacker does not need to establish a connection or maintain session state to exploit the vulnerability.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption to potentially compromise enterprise security infrastructure. Organizations relying on Cisco video surveillance systems for critical security operations face significant risks when this vulnerability exists, as the denial of service attack can occur at any time and without warning. The automatic reboot of the surveillance platform means that security monitoring capabilities are immediately suspended, potentially leaving facilities vulnerable during the recovery period. This vulnerability directly impacts the availability and reliability of security operations, particularly in environments where continuous monitoring is essential for preventing security incidents. The impact is further amplified when considering that these platforms often serve as part of larger security ecosystems, where the failure of one component can cascade into broader security infrastructure issues.
From a cybersecurity framework perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, which describes heap-based buffer overflow conditions, and represents a classic example of improper input validation. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this as a Denial of Service technique under the T1499 category, specifically targeting network services and infrastructure components. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including network segmentation to isolate affected systems, firewall rules to block UDP traffic on port 37000, and network monitoring to detect anomalous traffic patterns. The most effective long-term solution involves upgrading to Cisco firmware version 5.3 or later, which includes proper input validation and error handling mechanisms for the xvcrman process. Additionally, implementing network intrusion detection systems with signatures for this specific vulnerability can provide early warning capabilities, while regular security assessments and vulnerability management processes should be enhanced to prevent similar issues in other components of the surveillance infrastructure.