CVE-2010-4673 in ASA
Summary
by MITRE
Cisco Adaptive Security Appliances (ASA) 5500 series devices with software 8.2(4) and earlier allow remote attackers to cause a denial of service via a flood of packets, aka Bug ID CSCtg06316.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/30/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2010-4673 affects Cisco Adaptive Security Appliances (ASA) 5500 series devices running software versions 8.2(4) and earlier, representing a critical denial of service weakness that can be exploited remotely. This flaw manifests when the affected devices receive a flood of specially crafted packets that trigger a processing error in the packet handling mechanisms, ultimately leading to system instability and service disruption. The vulnerability operates at the network layer where the ASA devices process incoming traffic, making it particularly dangerous as it can be leveraged by attackers without requiring authentication or privileged access to the system. The specific nature of the packet flood suggests that the ASA's packet processing engine fails to properly handle certain packet sequences or structures, causing the device to either crash or become unresponsive to legitimate traffic.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and error handling within the ASA's network processing modules. When the device encounters malformed or excessive packet traffic, the processing routines fail to gracefully handle the abnormal conditions, resulting in resource exhaustion or internal state corruption. This weakness can be categorized under CWE-129 Input Validation and Error Handling, specifically addressing improper handling of exceptional conditions in network security appliances. The attack vector operates through network communication where remote adversaries can send crafted packets to the ASA device, potentially targeting specific ports or protocols that are processed by the vulnerable code path. The impact is amplified by the fact that these devices typically serve as critical network security boundaries, making their denial of service particularly disruptive to network operations.
The operational impact of CVE-2010-4673 extends beyond simple service interruption, as ASA 5500 series devices often function as primary network security gateways protecting enterprise networks from external threats. When compromised, these appliances can no longer perform essential security functions such as firewall filtering, intrusion prevention, or network address translation, effectively creating security gaps that attackers can exploit. The vulnerability directly conflicts with the fundamental security principle of availability, as it enables attackers to disrupt network services without requiring physical access or sophisticated attack capabilities. Organizations relying on these devices for network protection face potential business disruption, increased security risks, and possible regulatory compliance issues if their network infrastructure becomes unavailable due to this vulnerability. The attack can be executed from any location with network connectivity to the affected ASA device, making it particularly concerning for organizations with exposed network services.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2010-4673 should prioritize immediate software updates to versions that address the specific packet handling flaw, as Cisco has released patches to resolve this vulnerability. Network administrators should implement rate limiting and packet filtering rules to reduce the impact of potential attacks by limiting the volume of traffic that reaches vulnerable processing paths. The implementation of intrusion detection systems can help identify and block malicious packet floods before they reach the vulnerable ASA devices. Organizations should also consider network segmentation and redundancy measures to ensure that the failure of a single ASA device does not completely compromise network availability. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to T1498 Exploitation for Client Execution and T1499 Network Denial of Service, with the attack pattern resembling a resource exhaustion attack that targets network infrastructure components. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify any remaining instances of the vulnerable software versions, while network monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual traffic patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts.