CVE-2010-2815 in ASA
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in the Transport Layer Security (TLS) implementation on Cisco Adaptive Security Appliances (ASA) 5500 series devices with software 7.2 before 7.2(5), 8.0 before 8.0(5.15), 8.1 before 8.1(2.44), 8.2 before 8.2(2.17), and 8.3 before 8.3(1.6) and Cisco PIX Security Appliances 500 series devices allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (device reload) via a sequence of crafted TLS packets, aka Bug ID CSCtf55259.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/21/2021
The vulnerability described in CVE-2010-2815 represents a critical denial of service weakness within the TLS implementation of Cisco Adaptive Security Appliances and PIX Security Appliances. This flaw affects multiple versions of Cisco's security infrastructure software, specifically targeting the 5500 series ASA devices running software versions prior to 7.2(5), 8.0(5.15), 8.1(2.44), 8.2(2.17), and 8.3(1.6), as well as the 500 series PIX devices. The vulnerability manifests when these security appliances process a sequence of specially crafted TLS packets, leading to unauthorized device reloads that effectively disrupt network security services.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from inadequate handling of malformed or crafted TLS protocol sequences within the Cisco ASA and PIX software implementations. When these devices receive specific combinations of TLS packets that exploit weaknesses in their cryptographic processing or protocol state management, the systems become unstable and subsequently restart. This behavior aligns with CWE-122, which describes buffer overflow conditions, and CWE-129, which covers improper validation of array indices. The flaw represents a classic case of protocol implementation weakness where the device fails to properly validate incoming TLS traffic sequences, allowing attackers to craft packets that trigger unexpected system behavior.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption to represent a significant threat to network availability and security infrastructure integrity. When an ASA or PIX device reloads due to this vulnerability, it creates a window of network exposure where security policies are temporarily suspended and network traffic flows are disrupted. This can lead to unauthorized access attempts, bypass of security controls, and potential data exposure during the device recovery period. The vulnerability's remote exploitability means that attackers can trigger the denial of service condition without requiring physical access or local network presence, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where such devices protect critical network boundaries.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should prioritize immediate remediation through software updates to the patched versions of Cisco ASA and PIX software. The recommended mitigation strategy involves applying the appropriate security patches released by Cisco to address the specific TLS processing flaws. Additionally, network administrators should implement monitoring solutions to detect unusual device restart patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1499.004, which covers network denial of service attacks, and T1566.001, which involves spearphishing with links. Network segmentation and access control measures should be reinforced to limit potential attackers' ability to reach vulnerable devices, while intrusion detection systems should be configured to alert on suspicious TLS traffic patterns that could indicate exploitation attempts.