CVE-2011-1613 in Wireless LAN Controller Software
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in Cisco Wireless LAN Controller (WLC) software 6.0 before 6.0.200.0, 7.0 before 7.0.98.216, and 7.0.1xx before 7.0.112.0 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (device reload) via a sequence of ICMP packets, aka Bug ID CSCth74426.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/01/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-1613 represents a critical denial of service flaw within Cisco Wireless LAN Controller software versions prior to specific patch releases. This vulnerability affects multiple software versions including 6.0 before 6.0.200.0, 7.0 before 7.0.98.216, and 7.0.1xx before 7.0.112.0, creating a significant operational risk for organizations relying on Cisco wireless infrastructure. The flaw manifests when the WLC device encounters a specific sequence of ICMP packets, leading to unauthorized device reload operations that disrupt wireless network services.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation within the ICMP processing mechanisms of the wireless controller software. When the WLC receives malformed or specially crafted ICMP packets in sequence, the device fails to properly handle these packets and subsequently triggers an automatic device reload process. This behavior constitutes a classic buffer overflow or input validation vulnerability that falls under the CWE-121 category of buffer overflow conditions. The vulnerability's remote exploitability means that attackers can initiate the denial of service attack from external network positions without requiring physical access or authentication credentials.
The operational impact of CVE-2011-1613 extends beyond simple service disruption to encompass broader network reliability and business continuity concerns. Organizations utilizing affected WLC versions face potential downtime for their wireless networks, which can severely impact productivity in enterprise environments where wireless connectivity is critical for operations. The automatic device reload process effectively renders the wireless infrastructure unavailable until manual intervention or automatic recovery occurs, creating cascading effects throughout the network infrastructure. This vulnerability directly maps to ATT&CK technique T1499.002 for network denial of service and represents a significant threat to the availability component of the CIA triad.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should prioritize immediate remediation through the application of Cisco's security patches and updates for the affected software versions. The recommended mitigation strategy includes upgrading to the patched versions mentioned in the advisory, specifically 6.0.200.0, 7.0.98.216, and 7.0.112.0, which contain the necessary code modifications to properly validate ICMP packet sequences. Network administrators should also consider implementing network segmentation and access control measures to limit exposure, while monitoring network traffic for suspicious ICMP activity patterns. Additionally, organizations should review their incident response procedures to ensure rapid detection and recovery capabilities for similar vulnerabilities that may affect their wireless infrastructure deployments.