CVE-2010-4692 in ASA
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability on Cisco Adaptive Security Appliances (ASA) 5500 series devices with software before 8.3(2) allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (device crash) via a large number of LAN-to-LAN (aka L2L) IPsec sessions, aka Bug ID CSCth36592.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/01/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2010-4692 represents a critical denial of service weakness affecting Cisco Adaptive Security Appliances within the 5500 series family. This flaw specifically impacts devices running ASA software versions prior to 8.3(2), creating a significant operational risk for organizations relying on these security appliances for network protection. The vulnerability manifests through a specific attack vector involving excessive LAN-to-LAN IPsec sessions, which can trigger device instability and complete system failure. The bug was catalogued under Cisco Bug ID CSCth36592, indicating its classification within the company's internal tracking systems. This weakness demonstrates the inherent complexity of IPsec implementation within enterprise security appliances and highlights the potential for resource exhaustion attacks to compromise network infrastructure availability.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and resource management within the IPsec session handling mechanism of the affected ASA devices. When confronted with a large volume of LAN-to-LAN IPsec sessions, the device fails to properly manage memory allocation and session state tracking, leading to system instability and eventual crash conditions. The flaw operates at the protocol level where multiple IPsec tunnels are established between internal network segments, creating a scenario where the device's memory management subsystem becomes overwhelmed. This behavior aligns with CWE-129, which addresses insufficient input validation, and CWE-770, concerning allocation of resources without limits or throttling. The vulnerability essentially represents a resource exhaustion attack that leverages the legitimate IPsec functionality to cause denial of service conditions rather than exploiting cryptographic weaknesses or authentication bypasses.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple device unavailability to potentially disrupt entire network operations within organizations relying on ASA 5500 series appliances. Network administrators may experience complete loss of security services, including firewall protection, intrusion prevention, and VPN connectivity, as the device becomes unresponsive and requires manual intervention for recovery. This type of attack can be particularly devastating in mission-critical environments where continuous network availability is essential for business operations. The vulnerability affects the fundamental availability aspect of the CIA triad, as it directly compromises the ability of network infrastructure to provide services to legitimate users. Organizations may face extended downtime periods during recovery operations, potentially resulting in significant financial losses and operational disruption, particularly in sectors such as finance, healthcare, or telecommunications where network reliability is paramount.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2010-4692 primarily focus on immediate software upgrades to ASA 8.3(2) or later versions, which contain the necessary patches to address the IPsec session handling flaw. Network administrators should implement proactive monitoring of IPsec session counts and establish automated alerting mechanisms to detect unusual session growth patterns that might indicate attempted exploitation. The implementation of rate limiting and session throttling policies can provide additional protection by controlling the number of concurrent IPsec sessions that can be established. Organizations should also consider implementing network segmentation strategies to limit the scope of potential attacks and reduce the attack surface available to malicious actors. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1499.004, which covers network denial of service attacks, and T1566.002, involving spearphishing via social media, though the latter is more relevant to initial compromise rather than the specific DoS condition. The mitigation approach should include comprehensive testing of the software updates in non-production environments before deployment to ensure compatibility with existing network configurations and security policies.