CVE-2010-4670 in ASA
Summary
by MITRE
The Neighbor Discovery (ND) protocol implementation in the IPv6 stack on Cisco Adaptive Security Appliances (ASA) 5500 series devices with software 8.2(3) and earlier, and Cisco PIX Security Appliances devices, allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (CPU consumption and device hang) by sending many Router Advertisement (RA) messages with different source addresses, as demonstrated by the flood_router6 program in the thc-ipv6 package, aka Bug ID CSCti24526.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/30/2024
The vulnerability described in CVE-2010-4670 represents a critical flaw in the IPv6 Neighbor Discovery protocol implementation within Cisco's security infrastructure devices. This issue affects the ASA 5500 series and PIX Security Appliances running software versions 8.2(3) and earlier, creating a significant operational risk for network security deployments. The vulnerability specifically targets the Router Advertisement message processing within the IPv6 stack, where the device fails to properly handle multiple RA messages with varying source addresses, leading to system instability and potential service disruption.
The technical mechanism behind this vulnerability involves the improper handling of Router Advertisement messages in the IPv6 Neighbor Discovery protocol stack. When the affected devices receive a flood of Router Advertisement messages with different source addresses, the system's CPU consumption increases dramatically as it attempts to process each message individually. This processing behavior creates a resource exhaustion condition that can lead to device hanging or complete system failure. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it can be exploited remotely without requiring authentication, making it accessible to any attacker with network access to the device's IPv6 interface. The specific exploitation technique involves using the flood_router6 program from the thc-ipv6 package, which demonstrates how easily this attack can be executed in practice.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service, as it can compromise the availability of critical network security services. When an ASA or PIX device becomes unresponsive due to this vulnerability, network traffic is disrupted, potentially leaving the network exposed to other threats while administrators attempt to restore service. The resource consumption pattern suggests that this vulnerability could be used as part of a larger attack campaign to disable network security controls, creating opportunities for more sophisticated attacks. The vulnerability affects the fundamental network protocol handling capabilities of these devices, which are designed to be the first line of defense in network security infrastructure.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should prioritize immediate remediation through software updates to versions that contain the necessary patches. The Cisco advisory recommends upgrading to software versions that address the specific Neighbor Discovery protocol implementation flaw. Network administrators should also consider implementing temporary network segmentation or access controls to limit exposure while applying patches. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-400, which covers "Uncontrolled Resource Consumption," and represents a classic example of how protocol implementation flaws can be exploited to create denial of service conditions. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to the T1499.004 technique related to network denial of service, where adversaries leverage protocol-specific weaknesses to disrupt network services. Additional mitigations include monitoring for unusual Router Advertisement traffic patterns and implementing rate limiting on IPv6 neighbor discovery messages to prevent exploitation.