CVE-2012-4629 in ASA-CX
Summary
by MITRE
The Cisco ASA-CX Context-Aware Security module before 9.0.2-103 for Adaptive Security Appliances (ASA) devices, and Prime Security Manager (aka PRSM) before 9.0.2-103, allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (disk consumption and application hang) via unspecified IPv4 packets that trigger log entries, aka Bug ID CSCub70603.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/13/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2012-4629 affects Cisco Adaptive Security Appliances (ASA) devices and Prime Security Manager (PRSM) systems, specifically targeting the Context-Aware Security module. This flaw exists in versions prior to 9.0.2-103 and represents a significant security concern that can be exploited remotely by attackers to disrupt normal system operations. The vulnerability manifests through unspecified IPv4 packets that contain specific characteristics triggering excessive logging behavior within the affected modules, ultimately leading to system instability and service disruption.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the Context-Aware Security module's handling of incoming IPv4 packets that generate log entries within the system. When these specific packet characteristics are processed, they cause the system to continuously generate log messages that consume disk space rapidly. This logging mechanism operates without proper input validation or rate limiting controls, allowing malicious actors to craft packets that trigger excessive logging activity. The flaw essentially creates a resource exhaustion scenario where the disk space allocated for logging operations becomes saturated, leading to application hangs and system unresponsiveness. This behavior aligns with CWE-400, which addresses improper resource management and specifically covers issues related to uncontrolled resource consumption.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service conditions to potentially compromise the entire security infrastructure of affected networks. When the disk consumption reaches critical levels, the affected ASA-CX devices and PRSM systems become unresponsive, preventing legitimate security operations from functioning properly. Network administrators lose visibility into security events as the logging system becomes overwhelmed, creating a blind spot in network monitoring capabilities. The application hang condition further compounds the issue by making the system unavailable for legitimate security processing, effectively disabling the security controls that organizations rely upon to protect their networks from various threats.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability must implement immediate mitigation strategies to protect their security infrastructure. The primary recommendation involves upgrading to Cisco ASA-CX Context-Aware Security module versions 9.0.2-103 or later, which contain patches addressing the excessive logging behavior. Network administrators should also consider implementing traffic filtering rules that can identify and drop packets matching the vulnerable characteristics before they reach the affected modules. Additionally, monitoring systems should be configured to alert administrators when disk usage approaches critical thresholds, providing early warning of potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper input validation and resource management in security appliances, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1499.004 which covers network disruption through resource exhaustion attacks. Organizations should also review their security monitoring configurations to ensure that log management systems can handle normal traffic loads without being susceptible to exploitation through excessive logging behavior.