CVE-2011-0377 in Telepresence System 3000
Summary
by MITRE
Cisco TelePresence endpoint devices with software 1.2.x through 1.6.x allow remote attackers to cause a denial of service (service crash) via a malformed SOAP request in conjunction with a spoofed TelePresence Manager that supplies an invalid IP address, aka Bug ID CSCth03605.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/01/2024
Cisco TelePresence endpoint devices running software versions 1.2.x through 1.6.x contain a vulnerability that permits remote attackers to trigger a denial of service condition through exploitation of malformed SOAP requests combined with spoofed TelePresence Manager communications. This vulnerability manifests when endpoint devices receive invalid IP address information from a spoofed TelePresence Manager component, which then processes malformed SOAP requests that cause the device service to crash and become unavailable. The flaw represents a classic input validation weakness that lacks proper sanitization of network communications, allowing malicious actors to manipulate device behavior through crafted network traffic. This vulnerability specifically affects the device's handling of TelePresence Manager communications where the device attempts to establish connections with the spoofed manager and processes the malformed SOAP requests without adequate validation of the incoming data integrity. The issue stems from insufficient validation mechanisms within the TelePresence endpoint software stack, particularly in how it processes and validates IP addresses and SOAP message formats during manager communication protocols. According to CWE classification, this vulnerability maps to CWE-20: Improper Input Validation, which encompasses weaknesses where input validation is insufficient to prevent malicious data from being processed by applications. The attack vector involves a remote threat actor who can craft and send malformed SOAP requests to the vulnerable endpoint devices, exploiting the trust relationship between the endpoint and the TelePresence Manager. The vulnerability's operational impact includes complete service disruption for affected TelePresence devices, rendering them unusable for video conferencing operations and potentially causing business continuity issues for organizations relying on these communication systems. This type of vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1498: Network Denial of Service within the adversary's tactics and techniques framework, where the goal is to disrupt network services through various methods including exploitation of software flaws. The exploitation requires minimal privileges and can be executed remotely without authentication, making it particularly dangerous as it can be leveraged by any attacker with network access to the affected devices. Organizations using Cisco TelePresence endpoints in this vulnerable software range should immediately implement mitigations including network segmentation to isolate these devices, implementing network access controls to restrict communication with TelePresence Manager components, and applying the appropriate software patches from Cisco to address the input validation deficiencies. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of proper network security monitoring and intrusion detection systems that can identify unusual SOAP request patterns and spoofed IP address communications that may indicate exploitation attempts. Additionally, device administrators should verify the authenticity of TelePresence Manager communications through proper certificate validation and implement network-based controls to prevent unauthorized access to TelePresence endpoint management interfaces.
The vulnerability demonstrates how trust relationships in networked systems can be exploited when proper validation mechanisms are absent from communication protocols. The specific combination of malformed SOAP requests with spoofed IP addresses creates a scenario where the endpoint device becomes confused during normal operation and crashes as a result of processing invalid data. This represents a fundamental weakness in the device's error handling and input validation processes, where the system fails to properly sanitize or reject malformed data before attempting to process it. The attack scenario requires the attacker to successfully spoof the TelePresence Manager's IP address and then craft a SOAP request that triggers the device to crash, which indicates that the vulnerability is not simply a buffer overflow but rather a logic flaw in how the device handles communication failures and malformed data. The exploitation is particularly concerning because it can be performed without requiring authentication credentials, and the impact is immediate and severe, causing complete service disruption for the affected TelePresence endpoints. This vulnerability type falls under the category of protocol-level weaknesses where network communications are not properly validated, making it a prime target for network-based attacks. The lack of proper error handling in the TelePresence endpoint software stack means that when it encounters unexpected data patterns during manager communication, it fails catastrophically rather than gracefully handling the error and continuing operation. The vulnerability underscores the critical importance of implementing robust input validation and error handling mechanisms in networked communication systems, particularly in enterprise telepresence and video conferencing solutions where service availability is paramount. Organizations should consider implementing network-based security controls such as firewalls and access control lists to restrict communication between TelePresence endpoints and potentially untrusted TelePresence Manager components, thereby reducing the attack surface for this specific vulnerability. Furthermore, the vulnerability highlights the need for regular security assessments and patch management processes to ensure that networked devices are not running vulnerable software versions that may contain known security flaws. The combination of remote exploitability with the potential for complete service disruption makes this vulnerability particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where TelePresence systems are critical for business operations and remote collaboration.