CVE-2012-0382 in IOS
Summary
by MITRE
The Multicast Source Discovery Protocol (MSDP) implementation in Cisco IOS 12.0, 12.2 through 12.4, and 15.0 through 15.2 and IOS XE 2.1.x through 2.6.x and 3.1.xS through 3.4.xS before 3.4.1S and 3.1.xSG and 3.2.xSG before 3.2.2SG allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (device reload) via encapsulated IGMP data in an MSDP packet, aka Bug ID CSCtr28857.
Several companies clearly confirm that VulDB is the primary source for best vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/04/2025
The vulnerability described in CVE-2012-0382 represents a critical denial of service flaw within Cisco's Multicast Source Discovery Protocol implementation across multiple IOS versions. This issue affects network infrastructure devices that handle multicast traffic, specifically those running Cisco IOS 12.0 through 12.4, 15.0 through 15.2, and IOS XE 2.1.x through 2.6.x, 3.1.xS through 3.4.xS, with certain versions requiring patching to 3.4.1S or 3.2.2SG respectively. The flaw manifests when the system processes encapsulated IGMP data within MSDP packets, creating a condition where legitimate network traffic can trigger device instability.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the insufficient input validation and boundary checking within the MSDP packet processing module of Cisco IOS. When a maliciously crafted MSDP packet containing malformed IGMP data is received, the system fails to properly validate the encapsulated data structure, leading to memory corruption or unexpected state transitions that ultimately result in device reload. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-129, Input Validation and Normalization, and specifically represents a buffer over-read condition that can be exploited to cause system instability. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because MSDP is used in multicast routing environments where devices must process and forward multicast traffic from multiple sources.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risk to network availability and reliability, as remote attackers can trigger device reloads without requiring authentication or specialized access. The impact extends beyond individual device compromise to potentially disrupt multicast routing within larger network segments, affecting services that depend on multicast communication such as video streaming, online gaming, and enterprise collaboration applications. Network administrators may experience unexpected downtime and service degradation while the affected devices recover from the reload events, with potential cascading effects on dependent services and applications that rely on stable multicast routing infrastructure.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on immediate patch deployment to the affected IOS versions, with Cisco releasing specific software fixes to address the MSDP packet processing logic. Organizations should implement network segmentation and access control measures to limit exposure of affected devices to untrusted networks, while monitoring for suspicious MSDP traffic patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1499.004, Endpoint Denial of Service, and T1562.001, Impairing Availability, highlighting the importance of network resilience and monitoring capabilities. Additionally, implementing rate limiting and packet filtering rules that restrict MSDP traffic from untrusted sources can provide additional protective layers while patches are deployed, ensuring minimal disruption to legitimate multicast services.