CVE-2010-2823 in Ace 4710
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in the deep packet inspection feature on the Cisco Application Control Engine (ACE) 4710 appliance with software before A3(2.6) allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (device reload) via crafted HTTP packets, related to HTTP, RTSP, and SIP inspection, aka Bug ID CSCtb54493.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/23/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2010-2823 represents a critical denial of service weakness within Cisco's Application Control Engine ACE 4710 appliance. This flaw specifically affects devices running software versions prior to A3(2.6) and resides within the deep packet inspection functionality that processes HTTP, RTSP, and SIP protocols. The vulnerability operates through crafted HTTP packets that, when processed by the affected appliance, trigger an unexpected device reload condition. This behavior constitutes a significant operational risk as it can be exploited remotely by attackers without requiring authentication credentials, effectively allowing malicious actors to disrupt network services and cause temporary or prolonged outages.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability demonstrates a failure in input validation and state management within the ACE appliance's inspection engine. When the device processes specially crafted HTTP packets designed to exploit the deep packet inspection feature, the malformed data causes the appliance to enter an unstable state that ultimately results in a complete device reload. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-20, which describes "Improper Input Validation," and more specifically relates to CWE-129, "Improper Validation of Array Index." The issue occurs during the processing of protocol-specific headers and content within the inspection engine, where insufficient bounds checking or state management prevents the appliance from gracefully handling malformed input.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates substantial risk for organizations relying on Cisco ACE appliances for application control and security services. The remote exploit capability means that attackers can potentially disrupt critical network infrastructure from external positions, making this particularly dangerous in environments where such appliances serve as primary security gateways. The device reload effect can result in complete service interruption, requiring manual intervention to restore normal operations, which can cascade into broader network disruptions. This vulnerability directly impacts the availability aspect of the CIA security triad and can be categorized under the ATT&CK technique T1499.1, specifically "Endpoint Denial of Service," as it targets network infrastructure endpoints to cause service disruption.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should prioritize immediate remediation through software updates to version A3(2.6) or later, which contain the necessary patches to address the inspection engine flaws. Network administrators should also implement monitoring solutions to detect anomalous traffic patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts, as well as establish incident response procedures for handling device reload events. Additional mitigations include implementing network segmentation to limit exposure, deploying intrusion detection systems that can identify crafted packet patterns, and maintaining detailed logs of appliance behavior for forensic analysis. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of regular security assessments and patch management processes, particularly for critical infrastructure components that handle deep packet inspection functions. Organizations should conduct thorough testing of patches in controlled environments before deployment to ensure compatibility with existing network configurations and services.