CVE-2010-2832 in IOS
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in the NAT for H.323 implementation in Cisco IOS 12.1 through 12.4 and 15.0 through 15.1 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (device reload) via transit traffic, aka Bug ID CSCtf91428.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/25/2021
The vulnerability described in CVE-2010-2832 represents a critical flaw within Cisco IOS operating systems that affects versions ranging from 12.1 through 12.4 and 15.0 through 15.1. This issue specifically targets the Network Address Translation implementation for H.323 protocols, which are widely used in voice over IP communications and video conferencing systems. The vulnerability operates at the network layer where H.323 traffic traverses through devices implementing Cisco IOS, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited by remote attackers without requiring authentication or physical access to the network infrastructure.
The technical flaw manifests when transit traffic containing malformed or specially crafted H.323 packets passes through affected Cisco IOS devices implementing NAT functionality. This particular vulnerability in the H.323 NAT implementation causes the device to crash and subsequently reload, resulting in a complete denial of service condition that affects all network services provided by the compromised device. The flaw occurs during the processing of H.323 signaling messages within the NAT translation mechanism, where insufficient input validation and error handling leads to memory corruption or stack overflow conditions that trigger the device restart.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates significant risk for organizations relying on Cisco network infrastructure for voice communications, as it can be exploited by remote attackers to disrupt critical business operations. The denial of service attack can be executed from anywhere on the internet, making it particularly dangerous for organizations with public-facing network devices or those connected to untrusted networks. The automatic device reload means that network services are immediately interrupted, potentially causing loss of voice communications, video conferences, and other time-sensitive applications that depend on H.323 protocols. The attack can be particularly devastating for mission-critical environments where network availability is paramount, as the device reload can take several minutes to complete, during which time all network services are unavailable.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the relevant Cisco security patches and updates as released through Cisco Security Advisory CSCtf91428. Network administrators should also consider implementing access control lists to filter H.323 traffic at network boundaries, particularly for non-essential traffic that doesn't require NAT translation. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, which describes stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and represents a classic example of how protocol implementation flaws can create denial of service conditions in network infrastructure devices. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to the T1499.004 technique for network denial of service, where adversaries leverage protocol-specific weaknesses to disrupt network availability. Additionally, organizations should review their network segmentation policies to limit exposure of affected devices to untrusted networks and implement monitoring solutions that can detect anomalous H.323 traffic patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts.