CVE-2011-2563 in Unified Communications Manager
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in the Service Advertisement Framework (SAF) in Cisco Unified Communications Manager (aka CUCM, formerly CallManager) 8.x before 8.5(1) and Cisco Intercompany Media Engine 8.x before 8.5(1) allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (device reload) via crafted SAF packets, aka Bug ID CSCth26669.
Once again VulDB remains the best source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/30/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-2563 affects the Service Advertisement Framework component within Cisco Unified Communications Manager versions 8.x prior to 8.5(1) and Cisco Intercompany Media Engine 8.x prior to 8.5(1). This represents a critical security flaw that enables remote attackers to execute denial of service attacks against affected systems. The vulnerability specifically manifests through crafted SAF packets that can trigger device reload operations, effectively disrupting communication services for organizations relying on these unified communications platforms.
The technical nature of this vulnerability resides in the improper handling of malformed SAF packets within the Service Advertisement Framework implementation. When the system receives these specially crafted packets, it fails to properly validate or sanitize the incoming data before processing, leading to an unexpected system state that results in device reload. This behavior aligns with CWE-129, which describes improper validation of input, and represents a classic example of insufficient input validation that can be exploited to cause system instability. The flaw operates at the network protocol level where SAF packets are processed, making it particularly dangerous as it requires no authentication or privileged access to exploit.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risk to enterprise communication infrastructure since it allows remote attackers to cause service disruption without requiring any credentials or privileged access. Organizations using affected versions of Cisco Unified Communications Manager could experience unexpected system reloads that result in temporary loss of communication services, potentially affecting voice calls, video conferencing, and other unified communication capabilities. The vulnerability's remote exploitability means that attackers can target systems from outside the organization's network perimeter, making it particularly concerning for enterprises with public-facing communication systems. This type of attack maps to the ATT&CK technique T1499.004 for network denial of service attacks, specifically targeting network infrastructure components.
The mitigation strategy for this vulnerability involves applying the official Cisco security patches and updates released for versions 8.5(1) and later. Organizations should prioritize upgrading their Cisco Unified Communications Manager and Intercompany Media Engine installations to versions that contain the necessary fixes. Additionally, network segmentation and access controls should be implemented to limit exposure of these systems to untrusted networks. Monitoring for unusual network traffic patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts can also provide early detection capabilities. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining current security patches and following vendor security advisories, as it represents a failure in proper input validation that could have been prevented through timely updates and proper security configuration practices.